Rio: A Changed Man
by Cybroid
Summary: A man named William lives the good life. He is engaged, has graduated from college and is on a great holiday. But soon, his world will come crumbling down. His life will be changed, but good things will come from this. The question is, can he go back and if he can, will he? Rated T for low violence.
1. Holiday At Rio

**Here is my new story. I have most of the plot figured out. I hope you all enjoy this new story :)**

* * *

It had just become morning in Rio. I woke to my alarm going off. After I switched it off, I hopped out of bed. Right now, I was visiting the city of Rio to see the sights, since I had just graduated from college. As I was getting dressed, my phone rang. Picking it up from the bedside, I looked at the phone number and smiled. I answered it and held it up to my ear.

"Good morning, honey" he greeted.

"_It isn't morning down here, but nice try. I just had dinner. How's Brazil?"_

"It's great. It's a tropical paradise. And I heard that it's Carnival in a month. Too bad I'm only here for a week." I could hear my fiance sigh on the other end.

_"Do you want to stay a little bit longer?"_

"No, no. I'm fine with a week. I don't want to miss a day without you."

"_Yeah, okay mister Sweet-talker. Just be back soon. I love you."_

"I love you too, honey." She hung up first, so I put the phone down. I finished getting dressed and packed my satchel before heading out.

* * *

The streets were packed by cars along the streets. The paths were lined with crowds of people. I walked through the busy crowds, trying to get through to my destination. I found the small stall I was searching for on the side of the path. On the top it read 'Forest Tours'. He approached the stall and was seen by the stall owner.

"_Ola, bom dia."_

"I'm sorry. I only speak English" I explained plainly.

"Of course. Tourist. Welcome to Rio de Janeiro, friend. What can I do for you?"

"I'm wondering if you know of any tour groups going out today?"

"Of course. In fact, it begins now. Here comes your guide." He pointed over to a young boy with a singlet and shorts. He wore a badge with the name 'Fernando' on it.

"Hello sir. Are you the last of the group?" he asked me.

"Yeah. So, where is the rest of the group?"

"You're it." I was quite stunned to know I was the only one to go. "Don't worry sir. I'll look after you."

"Hey, I trust you, kid. I'm just worried a bit about you."

"No need to worry sir. I've been in some pretty bad situations. Do you want to start going now?"

"Sure. We'll go now." I started going before the stall owner called him back.

"Wait, _meu amigo._" I halted myself and turned around. He was holding out his hand.

"Oh, so sorry." I handed him 40 Brazilian reals before heading off.

* * *

The tour went into the jungle. I held out my camera, taking photos of different types of animals along the way. Fernando spotted a small group of Military macaws go by. I quickly took a shot.

"Birds are beautiful, aren't they?" he asked.

"Yes they are. That's actually why I came, since Rio is one of the best places to find lots of different types of birds." We continued on the path. The path started to go a little steeper and thinner. Eventually, it came to where the path became thin on one side.

"Let's finish here. The path's becoming too dangerous."

"Yeah, it is. Let's turn back" I replied, agreeing. As we were going back, I felt a question come up. "We should do this tomorrow. Are you able to?"

"Sure. Same time?"

"How about midday? That sound good?"

"Yep. See you then."

* * *

The night came quickly. Lights shined all around throughout the city. My hotel room was on the 15th floor, so I could see the whole city. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. The news came straight on.

"_News has reached us that the sanctuary in the Spix macaw grove in the Amazon has been completed. In a few days, Tulio Monteiro and his team will return from the Amazon."_

"That's good to hear."

"_In other news, the cockatoo and frog pair have disappeared from the aviary in Rio. No one knows how this happened or where they are now."_

"Okay, I think that is enough TV for now." I switched off the TV and went to bed. I was asleep in minutes.

* * *

The next day, I went to the same tour stall as yesterday. Today was particularly hot and moist. I found Fernando waiting for me, sweating in the heat.

"You were taking quite a while. What took you so long?" he asked.

"Sorry. It was very busy, especially around this time."

"Now shall we go, sir?"

"Yes. And stop calling me sir, please."

"Okay, so what do I call you then?"

"Call me by my name."

"Which is?"

"Right. I always forget to tell people that. My name is William."

* * *

Me and Fernando followed the same path as yesterday. I took more photos and also drew some sketches of a few birds as well. I was taking a sketch of a small bird when Fernando noticed my drawing.

"You're pretty good at drawing. Do you know what type of bird that is?"

"_Pyrrhura roseifrons, _also known as the Rose-Fronted Parakeet. A beautiful bird."

"I thought you said all birds were beautiful."

"In their own way. I like how this type of bird has a variety of colors." I finished the sketch and packed the sketchbook away. "Let's get going." We continued down the track to where we stopped before.

"And now we stop again." But I didn't stop. Instead, I saw something that peaked my curiosity.

"What is that?" It seemed to glint, like metal. I was so intrigued by it, I forgot about the thin path. My foot slipped and I fell back. Then I felt pain as I fell down the steep slope. I hit my head on a rock before hitting the bottom.

"William! Are you okay?" That was the last I heard.

* * *

**That's the end of the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. See you next time :)**


	2. Unexpected Changes

**The next chapter is here. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

I don't know how long I was unconscious, but I eventually woke. I felt a thumping pain at the back of my head. I put my hand to the back of my head and rubbed a bit at it.

"Owww, my head. That must have been a big fall." As I regained my focus, I saw I was in some type of wooden room. "Where am I?" I struggled to stand. I placed one hand on the ground. My vision seemed to blur and I thought that it was my imagination when I saw my hand was blue and had...feathers. "What the hell is this?" I shook my head and looked forward. I could see the exit, so headed for it. I almost reached it when I felt dizzy. I collapsed as someone with black and orange around their face came in.

* * *

I woke up again slowly, feeling someone nudge me. Then I heard someone talking.

"_Are you okay?_" The voice had a native accent, so I thought it was Fernando.

"I'm okay, kid."

"Kid? Do I look like a kid." My vision focused, and when it did, I wish it didn't. Before me stood a toucan. And what was even more frightening was that it was about my size.

"Y-y-you're a bird!"

"Speak for yourself." He held a small bowl out to me which was filled with water. I took it and looked at my face. When I saw it, I screamed as I backed away from the bowl on the ground.

"Nooooooooooo!" I yelled as I fell. Then I blacked out once again.

* * *

"_I think he's coming out of it." _I groaned in pain as I woke up for the third time.

"That was a very weird dream."

"This ain't a dream, amigo." I looked up from the ground and saw the same toucan, this time with a chubby red cardinal and a canary with a bottle cap as a hat. _Okay William, just stay cool_ I thought to myself. "Now that you're awake, how about you explain some things to me" the toucan suggested. "Let's start with your name. What is it?" I hesitated before answering.

"My name is William."

"So I guess you aren't from around here. Okay, next question. Why did you freak out when you saw yourself?"

"Why wouldn't I? I've found myself somewhere that isn't familiar and woken up to unfamiliar faces. All I remember is my name" I lied.

"I guess he's right. Who wouldn't freak out" the canary added.

"Can you stand?" the toucan asked. I tried, but almost fell over. I would have if he hadn't grabbed me. "Easy now. Let's get you some place safe." He wrapped his talons around my body and lifted me up and flew off to somewhere safe. I passed out again as we traveled.

* * *

Once again, I woke up. This time, the wooden room was a bit bigger than the last. I found myself in what looked like a nest. On my left was the toucan. He was looking at the entrance. The canary and cardinal were nowhere to be seen.

"Where are we?" I asked.

"My home. Keep it down or they'll hear you."

"Who will hear-" I was interrupted by the sound of kids laughing.

"Quickly, hide!" The toucan pulled a large leaf over me. I peaked through a small gap from under the leaf. I saw the toucan standing in the entryway, looking scared. Seeing him scared made me scared. Then I heard a group of little voices.

"DADDY!" He made a nervous smile before he was piled upon by a large group of child toucans.

"Okay, okay! I missed you too. Carlos, get off your sister. Manuel, no feather pulling. OW! No biting!" I stayed quiet, but eventually I was found. One of the chicks spotted my eyes through the gap.

"Oh no."

"Ai caramba."

"ATTACK!" All the kids charged for me, and I screamed and tried to run away, but I ended up tripping over the edge of the nest. I couldn't escape the oncoming wave of children. They pulled and bit and ripped at my new feathers. I wished for it to end. Then a loud, female voice called out.

"KIDS! GET OFF THE GUEST! NOW!" Instantly, all the chicks took off and vanished. The toucan helped me up so I could see the one who saved me. She was another toucan, but her beak was more green than orange with pink on the end.

"Um, hi. Thanks for saving me. I'm William." I held out my wing, but she walked right by me to the other toucan.

"Who is this, Rafi? Where have you been for the past two days?"

"Baby, I can explain it all. He needed help, so I helped him, along with the boys."

"Of course those boys had something to do with it. You were probably at the club again, weren't you?" The argument started to escalate, so I decided to stop it.

"Hey you two, stop now. Please. He's telling the truth. I was unconscious since yesterday."

"Yesterday? No you weren't. I found you two days ago, laying on the ground." I was very surprised. They could easily see it on my face.

"What?"

* * *

**And that's it. Hope you enjoyed this chapter :)**


	3. Introductions

**Next chapter is here. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"What do you mean by two days ago?"

"That's when I found you, laying on the ground, knocked out."

"Okay. So what's your...your..." I felt dizzy before I could finish. _God dammit_ I thought before I fell into darkness again.

* * *

I woke up in the same hollow, this time with the female watching over me.

"I'm starting to get used to blacking out." I slowly got up from the nest I had been in. "I never got your name."

"Eva. My mate's name is Rafael. And yours is William?"

"Yes. Nice to meet you, Eva." I held out my wing, which she accepted. She shook on it as a friendly gesture.

"Nice to meet you. Rafael will be back soon with some with some things to help heal you and hopefully stop you from blacking out so much."

"I would like that. It's starting to get very annoying." We waited for a few minutes until Rafael arrived.

'Sorry I took so long. Here you go, amigo." He rubbed a mixture of fruits and herbs onto the parts that hurt then went over to his mate. "I'm so sorry, my juicy mango. He needed help, so I helped him."

"It's okay, my pudgy papaya. You are forgiven." Rafael leaned in for a kiss, but she pressed a wing against his beak. "But if it happens again, I might not be so forgiving." Their beaks touched, and I just rolled my eyes.

"Get some privacy, please."

"EWWWWW!" I looked outside to see their chicks covering their eyes. I couldn't stop myself from laughing. As I laughed, I felt a pain in the back of my head. I passed out unexpectedly again.

* * *

The next morning was fine. I was watching the sunrise two familiar birds came by.

"Hey Nico, look who's standing." The canary and cardinal popped up next to me.

"You look better. How's it been?"

"Fine. Still got a few headaches before I pass out. I never got your names."

"Name's Nico."

"And I'm Pedro. What's yours?"

"William. So what's with the cap?"

"This?" He held his bottle cap hat in his wing and flipped it around. "I ain't telling you. It's my special story, only for the closest of friends to know."

"Fine, I understand. So what are you doing here?"

"What, you got something against others checking on you?" Pedro questioned.

"Hey, I didn't mean to insult you. I just wanted to-"

"Just jokin" he laughed. "No insult taken. Where's Ralfi?"

"He's still asleep with the Mrs. What do you guys do around here?"

"We run a club in Rio."

"A club? That's hard to believe." The two looked insulted by my words.

"What do birds do back at your home for fun?"

"How should I know. I hardly remember anything." I heard someone stirring inside and went in to greet Rafael. "Good morning, Rafael. Nico and Pedro came here to check up on me."

"Are they still here?" His answer came through the entry way and came in next to me.

"Good mornin, king. I guess you're night was very tiring."

"You have no idea." He stretched his back and wings, making a popping sound for every part. "What do you want?"

"What do you mean? We only came to check up on William" Nico answered innocently. Rafael slightly raised an eyebrow at them, which Nico twitched at.

"I know you two. What do you want, and answer truthfully." The two samba birds stayed silent, like they were trying to hold something in.

"We were wondering if you wanted to come to the club" Pedro blurted. Rafael crossed his wings and looked at them with disappointment. Nico quickly hit the back of Pedro's head for letting it loose.

"Ay yi yi. You two are going to be the death of me, I swear. You know my wife will kill me if I go."

"Go where?" Rafael's face froze and turned around to see his wife sitting up.

"We were just discussing places of where to take William so he can see the sights" he quickly made up.

"Oh no you don't. That's just what you said with those other two, and where did you go? You went to Carnival, and without me, even though I said not to. I'm not letting you go this time."

"Carnival isn't for another month. Where else can I go?"

"You could come to our club" Pedro piped up, followed with a small yelp.

"Exactly my point. Rafael, I forbid you to leave this hollow." Pedro and Nico's beaks hung open. "As for you two, I want you out. Go on, leave!" The two birds bumped into and fell over each other in a frantic rush to leave.

"Run, Nico, run!"

"Right behind you!" I couldn't stop myself from laughing, but then I was overcome by fear when I caught her glaring at me.

"Uh oh."

"You are also forbidden to leave. With those injuries, you could be hurt. You both will stay until further notice." Once she was gone, I felt the fear empty.

"Wow. She's crazy." I looked over at Rafael who was glaring at me.

"You watch your words. That's my wife." He went back to his nest and fell asleep. I was left to stand in silence. _Can this day get any worse?_

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed. And yes, things are about to get worse. William better get ready for a nightmare of a day. See you next time :)**


	4. Babysitting

**In this chapter, Rafael and William get into some trouble. Read on to find out. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

I was slowly becoming bored, being stuck in this home. Rafael tried to keep me happy, but constant assault of the kids and Eva scolding us was getting a bit too far. And this was all in the first day, when we were grounded as if we were children. Already, I'm becoming sick of being a bird, but I have to keep myself sane long enough to find a cure. For my family. For my friends. For my future wife. But it was getting harder. I could see the sun going down over the horizon, signalling the coming of night.

"William!" Eva called my name, so I answered it and went inside.

"What do you need?"

"Don't you give me attitude. You're lucky I let you stay here." I rolled my eyes and sat down next to Rafael. "I'm going out tonight. I need you two to babysit." Rafael and me looked at her in surprise and fear.

"What?" we both exclaimed.

"You heard me. You two are babysitting. No excuses, no arguments." I was about to argue, but Rafael piped in.

"Fine, baby. We'll babysit."

"But..but..but what about my say in this?" I complained.

"Amigo, if you value your life, then stop now before you go to far." I listened to him and gave up, which made Eva happy.

"I'm happy we understand each other. I'll be back by midnight." She turned around to her children who were waiting patiently for her. "Now you kids be good for your papa and Mr William until I get back. Do you understand?"

"Yes mama!" they all simultaneously answered.

"Good. Bye kids! Bye boys!"

"Bye mama!" I watched as she flew out of sight.

"This shouldn't be so bad. I mean, they are just kids."

"Since you think so, amigo, then you can get the first watch." He hurried out of sight, leaving me with the kids.

"H-hey kids. So what do you want to do?" The kids all grinned, making me regret those words.

* * *

**Rafael POV**

* * *

For the first quarter of the night, I had been catching up on my sleep. That was before I heard some muffled screams.

"Ay yi yi. What did he do now?" I asked myself. I hopped out of my nest and headed out to where William and the kids were. What I found was very surprising. "Ay carumba! What happened?" I asked William, who was hanging from the ceiling upside down. He managed to finally get the leaf around his mouth off so he could talk.

"I regret being first. Can you help me down?" he requested. "I can't feel my talons."

"Don't worry. I'm coming, amigo." I headed over to the rope holding him up and pulled on it. He fell straight down. As he did, I felt something tighten around my talons. "What the- Waaaaah" I screamed as I was pulled up. We both stopped halfway up, facing each other.

"This is very awkward."

"You could have told me it was a trap!"

"How could I? I was unconscious at the time."

"Sorry. So what do we do now?"

"We could wait for Eva" I suggested.

"No way! She'll kill us! We have to find a way out of here before she gets back!"

"And what do you suggest?" William looked around and searched for a loose part in the rope. Then he looked at my beak.

"That's big enough. Maybe you can snip us out."

"That's actually not a bad idea."

"I know. But hurry, before the kids wake up."

"You mean you got them asleep? How?"

"Sung a lullaby. It's easy."

"You must teach me" I mumbled with the rope in my beak. I noticed he didn't understand. I moved it out of my beak before continuing. "I said you must teach me. It could be very useful."

"Okay. Now less talking, more snipping."

"Right." I got back to snipping with my beak while William kept his eyes on the kids. It took over half an hour to get halfway.

"Almost done?"

"You try to eat through this rope." Once again, he didn't understand. I spat the rope out and said it again. "I said you try to eat through this rope. It's made of the thickest vine around here, not to mention the taste. It tastes horrible." I waited for him to respond with some smart remark, but all I heard was slow breathing. "William?" I nudged him with my head, but he still didn't respond. "William? Are you with me?" Still no response. "Great. Now you're unconscious." I went back to biting at the rope.

* * *

**Eva POV**

* * *

"Kids, boys, I'm back!" The inside of the hollow remained quiet. "Is everything alright in there?" I peaked inside to find William sleeping and Rafael sitting in the nest, also sleeping. "I don't believe you two! Sleeping on the-"

"Shhh." Rafael, who wasn't sleeping, perked his head up. "Look." He pointed in front of him where the youngest of the children was resting.

"How did you get them asleep?"

"I didn't. William did." I pointed over to William and mouthed 'he did'. Rafael nodded. "He's got some secrets. Very mysterious." I stifled a little laugh and sat next to him. Then I noticed his talons were a bit purple.

"What happened?"

"Don't ask."

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed. The multiple POV thing is something new I'm trying in my stories. See you in the next chapter :)**


	5. The Tour Begins

**Next chapter has arrived. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

It felt so long since I had passed out last night. I suspected that it was from my condition. I woke up in the spare nest that Rafael had given me. I looked outside. The time looked like it was around midday. I saw Rafael sitting at the entrance.

"How long was I at?" I asked him.

"A long time, amigo. You were out cold."

"So what's on the schedule today?"

"Me and Eva were discussing some things and thought that we should show you around the place. So me, Nico and Pedro are going to take you out."

"Oh. That's good, I guess. How will we go around?"

"What do you mean? You can fly, can't you?" I didn't answer. His face was covered in realization. "Wow, so much deja vu right now." He rubbed his forehead, thinking of an idea. "How about we carry you? Is that a good idea?"

"Sure. As long as you don't drop me."

"Don't worry. We won't."

* * *

We waited for about half an hour before the others arrived.

"Are you ready to get poppin, Willy?" Pedro asked.

"Yes, as long as you don't call me Willy ever again."

"Fine. Can we get poppin already?"

"Yes, we'll go now." Pedro and Nico started flying off, but noticed me and Rafael still standing there.

"Is something wrong?" I looked over at Rafael.

"He can't fly" he explained.

"Woah, major deja vu is all over this like the yellow on Nico."

"That sounded a little racist towards me, P."

"Sorry, my bad."

"Will we be off then or are we going to just sit here and look at the view." Rafael grabbed onto my wings and lifted me into the air. We all took off with Nico and Pedro leading the way.

* * *

The city seemed so far away, but it only took a few minutes to reach. I could tell that Rafael was starting to tire out. I looked over at a tin roof on a building nearby.

"Set me down there." Rafael flew over the roof I pointed to and dropped me onto it. Hard. He crashed hard onto the roof ahead of me, and looked like he was about to pass out. "You said you wouldn't drop me."

"You never told me you were so heavy" Rafael shot back.

"I'm not that heavy! Am I?"

"Do you want me to lie or tell the truth?" I sighed and went over to the edge. I saw we were pretty high up.

"Is there another way down?"

"Why would you want to go down there?" Nico asked.

"I can try walking around with you to guide me."

"We could carry you down."

"But Rafael over there is out of it. Who's going to carry me?"

"Two friends comin over here now." Nico pointed over to two grey birds flying over to them. When they were closer, I could see they were kites. "Hey Bou! Hey Lou! How ya two been?" Nico and one of the kites slapped their wings together.

"We've been good" the kite Bou replied. He looked over at me. "Who's the blue guy?"

"I'm William. I'm new here."

"Right. Well, we're just gonna continue on now-"

"Wait, we need your help" Nico requested.

"What do you need?" Nico looked at me, then back to Bou.

"William's wing is damaged, so he can't fly, and Ralfi is out. Can you just carry down to the ground?" Bou looked at me with a hesitant look.

"What do I get in return?"

"And I thought that all of Nico and Pedro's friends were generous."

"I'm only joking! Of course I will. Any friend of Nico's and Pedro's is a friend of mine. Come on Lou, let's help him." Bou came over, while Lou edged herself towards me shyly. They both wrapped their talons around my shoulders and lifted me up and over to an alley below. "Wow, you are quite heavy."

"That means Rafael told the truth" I muttered.

"Pardon?"

"Nothing. Just talking to myself." The two kites softly dropped me down onto the ground. "Thanks." Before they left, I quickly asked them a question. "Just wondering, are you twins?"

"Yes we are. We can fly you around if you would like. Do you want us to?"

"No thanks. I don't want you to pass out. You go on and continue with what you were doing."

"Happy to help. We'll leave you guys be for now. Peace out, guys!"

"You keep on poppin around!" Pedro called out. I watched the two kites fly away before turning my attention to Nico and Pedro.

"Where's Rafael?"

"He's unconscious. Pedro will stay with him. Until he wakes up, I'm going to show you around. We'll meet at our club." Pedro went up to the roof with Rafael and I followed Nico. "First stop, Christ The Redeemer!"

* * *

I'd seen pictures of it and seen it from my hotel, but when I stood on the statue, it looked so much more bigger than I thought.

"This..is..awesome!" Nico laughed at how I was reacting.

"That's just how all other tourists feel."

"Where do we go next?"

"Well...there is the markets."

"Let's go then!" I went down the arm and prepared to take off, but remembered my little problem. "Right. Can't fly."

"We'll make our own way down." At first I was confused, but then I saw what he was looking at. A hang glider was about to pass underneath the arm we were on.

"Oh no. Oh no no no no. We are not doing that!"

"It's just like flying. It's not that bad."

"That's the thing! I can't fly."

"I really don't want to do this, but looks like I will have to."

"What's that supposed to-" I stopped when he charged at me. He rammed straight into me, and we both went falling off the arm. I closed my eyes, ready for the pain that would come from hitting the ground.

* * *

**Cliff hanger! I hope you guys enjoyed. See you next time :)**


	6. Taste Of Flying

**The story shall now continue. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

I felt the wind rushing against my face as me and Nico fell. It felt like ages, but eventually I felt myself land on something like some kind of tarp. I opened my eyes after I felt no pain. I found myself on the glider, which I thought was gone. One thing that I did find missing was Nico.

"Nico? Nico, where are you?" I saw a wing hanging on the edge. A yellow wing. "Nico!" I dived to catch it, but was too late. "Dammit. I was so close. I'm so sorry, Nico. I should have been able to reach you."

"What are you talking about? I'm right here." I turned around and saw Nico flying alongside the glider. "Can you feel it?"

"Feel what?"

"The wind rush against your face. The fresh smell of the air. It's so incredible!" I stayed flat against the glider, but felt the urge to stand. "Don't fight it! Go with it! Trust your instincts! Trust your feelings!" I listened and slowly stood up. The air felt good against my feathers. "That's it! As Ralfi would say, 'feel the rhythm of your heart.'"

"What?" I was so calmed by the wind, I didn't notice my wings stretching out.

"No, don't do that. Don't do that!" But it was too late. The wind was caught in my wings, and I was sent flying off the glider. I saw Nico dive for me. Then I bounced on what felt like another glider. My body flipped forward so I was looking down. The ground looked far away, but I knew it was closer than that. I could see the whole beach. But I couldn't enjoy the view since I was falling to my death. I hit another glider, this time beak first. My beak tore right through it.

_Whoops. _The driver of the glider freaked out and lost control of the glider. I hanged on for my life, as did the pilot. Nico managed to catch up and match the glider's speed.

"Hold on, William!"

"What else am I supposed to do?" Nico looked ahead, then his expression became more scared.

"Brace!"

"Brace? Brace for what?" I also looked forward, but didn't like what I saw. The beach was closer than it last was. "Oh crap." The glider went crashing into the beach, the driver trying to dodge all the people on it. The glider eventually crashed into a obstacle in the way, and I was sent flying forward. I slid through the sand, my face down in it and my beak full with it. I raised my head up and spat it out. Nico landed beside my head.

"Teaching you to fly is gonna be harder than I thought." Nico spotted a truck on the side of the road, which I spotted as well.

"I'm guessing that's my ride?"

"Yep. Let's hurry, before it leaves." Nico flew over and landed in the back of the truck, and I ran after him. I jumped up, but he couldn't catch me. We tried and tried, but failed every time. The truck started moving forward with me hanging onto the tow bar, my talons skidding on the road.

"Help me up, help me up, help me up!" I almost fell off before I felt something grab my shoulders. Whoever it was pulled me up. I looked up at who saved me, and I was surprised. "Bou?"

"Who else could it be? Hey Nico, where's Pedro?"

"Lookin after Ralfi. Where's Lou?"

"Waiting at the club probably, since that is where we were going. I saw you guys on the way. You headed there too?"

"Yep. It's our next stop."

"Then I guess I'll go with you guys." Bou landed beside Nico, then they started chatting. _I hope this isn't too long._

* * *

Once we arrived, I was very surprised. We arrived at the market, no club in sight.

"Where's the club?" I asked.

"It's hidden to those who don't know about it" Nico replied. Bou and Nico went over to a large stack of crates with pieces of tarp covering it. I could hear a faint sound like music inside. Lou walked over to us and joined us. "Welcome to the club." Bou and Nico parted a part of the tarp which revealed what was inside.

* * *

**That's it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the story so far. See you in the next chapter :)**


	7. Welcome To The Club

**Here's the next chapter. I'm gonna try at adding lyrics of songs in as well. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

I couldn't believe how this place had remained hidden from human eyes. The music was booming and the place was filled with a large variety of birds. There were bright colors lighting the walls.

"! can't believe that this place has existed in an area filled with humans, and yet has not ever been discovered!" I shouted over the music.

"Believe it, amigo!" I looked into the crowd and saw that Rafael was already here with Pedro. "I really hope Eva doesn't catch me! If she does, she'll kill me!" I was too amazed to listen and walked in like I was hypnotized. Another bird almost ran into me if Rafael hadn't pulled me back. "Woah, easy there amigo! You don't want to be knocked over, now do you?"

"No! It's just that this place is so amazing!"

"It's amazing, right?"

"I think amazing is an understatement!" Soon my head started to hurt about from all the sound. "Is there anywhere quiet we can go? My head is really hurting!"

"Oh boy, that's not good." Rafael left me and went over to Nico and Pedro, who pointed over to a secluded corner. He came back over and pointed over to the corner. "Over there! Come on, let's go!" He led me through the crowd, supporting me in case I went out again. He sat me down on a small box used as a chair then left again. My head was pounding and my vision suddenly became blurred. I thought I would go out again when I felt a wing on my shoulder. When I looked, it was another canary.

"Hey there, you don't look so good. Do you want some company?" I was about to reply, but instead almost fell back. His wing shot out and caught me then leaned me back up. "Don't worry, I'm here. My name is Logan. What's yours?"

"W..W...Will...Will-"

"Will? Is that your name?" I decided to go with it, since I couldn't do much anyway. I nodded and he shook my wing. "Nice to meet you Will. I saw that you're a friend of Rafael. He's a good friend." I almost fell again, but he lifted me up. "You don't look like you're from around here. You new to Rio?" I nodded again. "Then Rafael is the perfect first friend. He knows everyone, and everyone knows him. He was once known as the King of Carnival before he resigned the title and decided to let go of that past and stay with his family, but some still call him that. He's okay with it." I noticed another yellow bird come to the table, which Logan looked over and waved to. "Anita! Over here!" The other canary came over and sat next to Logan. "Will, this is my mate, Anita. Anita, I think this poor guy is sick." Anita studied me, thinking of what my condition was.

"Just as I thought. He's got a bit of concussion, probably a nasty bump on the head." I nodded again. "He looks like he needs some fluids. I'll get him a drink."

"Good thinking. So you bumped your head, huh? Not to worry, Anita cares for everyone. She's like a nurse. You'll be okay with her." _I hope so. Anything to stop these blackouts. _I heard the music stop, then another beat began. "Oh man, I love this song! You listen to music?" I looked at him and shook my head sluggishly. "You don't! Then what do you do in life? You must have at one point."

"I have, but that was a long time ago. Maybe a few years. I just sort of lost interest and focused more on work and my life."

"But music is life!"

"Not my life."

"Fine. And just wondering, what do you mean by work?" _Dammit. Me and my big mouth, I mean beak. _

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"If you say so. At least listen to this song."

"Might as well, since you aren't going to stop nagging at me."

"No I won't." I sat my head on my wings looking bored while Logan sat up straight, looking excited.

**(Hot Wings)**

Party in Ipanema, baby

I wanna party  
I wanna samba  
I wanna party  
I wanna samba  
I wanna party  
And live my life (my life)  
I wanna party (party)  
And fly...

Hey! I'ma fly, fly just like a bird (but you are a bird!)  
Oh yeah, you're right, so let me fly just like a rocket, then (okay)  
Fly so high where I need to come down for oxygen (hey!)  
'Cause once we start it, baby, ain't no, ain't no stoppin' then (hey!)

'Cause I just want to live my life and party (hey!)  
All I want is to be free and rock my body (okay)  
Been around the world and I wanna live my life  
In Rio, 'cause I Rio, 'cause I Rio-realize that

I wanna party (party)  
I wanna samba (party)  
I wanna party (party)  
And fly...

I'm that samba, samba, masta, masta, masta, masta, masta  
Who shouts out from a ghetto blasta, blasta, blasta, blasta, blasta  
You dance fast, but I dance fasta, fasta, fasta, fasta, fasta  
You're too slow, you need to catch up, you can dance and dance if you wanna...

I wanna party (party)  
I wanna samba (party)  
I wanna party (party)  
I wanna samba (party)  
I wanna party (party)  
And live my life (my life)  
I wanna party (party)  
And fly...

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey (squawk)  
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey (squawk)

Laya, laya, laya, laya...  
Laya, laya, laya, laya, laya, laya, laya, laya...

Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey (squawk)  
Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey (squawk)  
Hey, hey, hey, hey

**(End Song)**

"They're amazing, aren't they?" Logan asked. But I didn't properly hear him. My vision was blurred worse than before and I felt myself going deaf. Next thing I knew, I was unconscious.

* * *

**That's it for this chapter. Hope you enjoyed the song in the story. I will hopefully do it in later chapters. See you in the next chapter :)**


	8. Rain Season

**Next chapter is here. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**Rafael POV**

* * *

It had been almost a day since William had passed out again. Me and the others were very concerned for him. He had shown no signs of waking. Anita was checking for any progress on him.

"Anything?" I asked.

"No improvement yet. He's still out cold, probably won't wake for another day or two."

"Is there anything you can do?"

"I'm afraid not. We can only wait and see." Anita left for her home, and later Bou and Lou as well. Soon, our hollow was empty except for me and Eva.

"I'm getting more and more worried for him. His blackouts are becoming more common and increasing in time. What we gave him might not be helping. I just wish there was something we could do."

"I do too, but there isn't. Not yet. All we can do is give him some rest. I'm sure he'll be up and healthy tomorrow morning, probably before us."

"I hope so." Eva went over to the nest to get some sleep, but I stayed. Something was different about this bird. Something about his eyes. They were almost...human. I shook the thought from my mind and joined Eva in the nest.

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

Once I woke up, it looked like early morning. I could see Eva and Rafael still sleeping, and with luck, so were the kids. I walked out onto the branch to see the sun hadn't risen yet, but was about to start. The lights of the city lit up the dark sky. I could see shapes of clouds above.

"Looks like it's gonna be a rainy day" I murmured to myself. I started thinking about what was happening back home. My fiance was probably worried sick about me, searching for me along with my parents and the police. She might be crying. And how would the boy feel, being the last person to see me? And how did I change in the first place? So many questions whirled around through my mind, though none of them could be answered. Not yet, and probably not ever. Suddenly, a large gust of wind slammed into me and I was sent falling from the branch. I was scratched and bumped by every branch on the way down, leaving me with cuts and bruises. However, this time I hadn't blacked out. _I haven't blacked out. Maybe my luck is turning out good. _Then there was a low growl from a nearby bush. _Then again, maybe not. _I backed up against the tree, hoping for something to come down and save me. I prepared myself for the pain, but I instead heard giggling. In curiosity, I looked over the bush to see three of Rafael's children with some type of horn. I looked down at them with an annoyed look, but after I regretted showing myself. They looked up with an evil grin. _Oh no. _I ran away quickly, but it was impossible to escape my fate. They pounced on me and held me down. One started bouncing on my back while another started pecking my feet. The third one sat on my head and held my beak closed. So I did the only thing I could do. I started throwing my head from side to side until the chick let go, then yelled what first came to mind. "RAFAEEEL!"A second later, he was out and diving to save me.

"Kids, off of him. Now!" The kids froze and looked at their dad.

"Daddy!" They went off me and skipped over to their dad, then they started jumping on him.

"Don't make me get your mother." The chicks darted off in an instant. He looked over to me on the ground and ran over to me. "What happened to you?"

"I fell from the tree, then those three little kids pounced me. I thought they almost had me."

"Yeah, they do that to you. So what were you doing up so early anyway?"

"Well, while I was out, I saw something."

"Like what?" I thought about what to say. _Should I tell him the truth? Yes, but only bit by bit. _

"I remember...humans. But nice humans."

"Aaah, I think I know what you are."

"You do."

"Of course. You're a pet!"

"You really think so?"

"Sure, and there ain't nothing wrong with that. Now all we need to do is find them, but I'm not carrying you everywhere. We are gonna teach you to fly."

"In this weather? That's not a very smart idea, is it?"

"Yeah, maybe you're right. We'll do it tomorrow. How does that sound?"

"Great. Tomorrow it is."

* * *

But it seemed that fate had other things in mind. The light rain that day turned into storm, then into a long week of heavy rain and thunder and lightning.

"I guess you won't be flying any time soon."

"Yeah, I guess not. Maybe I was never destined to fly."

"I don't believe that. How about once the rain has stopped, we'll start searching. While we do, we try to teach you how to fly at certain points in the search. Is that a good plan?"

"Yes, that's if the rain ever does stop."

"It will. Trust me."

* * *

**And that's it for this chapter. I hope you enjoyed. See you in the next chapter :)**


	9. Investigation

**Good morning(or afternoon) fellow readers. The next chapter is here. I hope you enjoy and if you are interested, read my other series :)**

* * *

After a whole week of rain, we were finally able to go out. As soon as we reached the city, we began to explore for clues of my disappearance. The first thing we found was a missing poster. It was a photo of what I once looked like.

"Do you know this man, William?" Rafael asked.

"Yes, he seems familiar. Maybe my owner" I answered.

"Are you sure?"

"I think so. I'm not so sure anymore." I heard him speak again, but I was focusing on someone else talking. Two police officers were going down the street, holding a photo of my human self.

"Have you seen this man?" they asked every passer by, to which they all answered no. I followed the police closely from the window sills above. Rafael was calling to me, but I didn't listen. He then stopped calling out and followed me closely. The police went over to a nearby stall that looked very familiar. "Have you seen this man?" The man behind looked closely at the photo, then had a surprised look on his face.

"Yes. Two weeks ago, I believe. Had a tour with a young boy. I can show you who the boy is."

"Take us there." I was about to follow, but remembered something else.

"Rafael, can you take me somewhere?"

"Sure. Where do you want to go?"

"Somewhere that I remember being."

* * *

I saw the hotel not far from us, and noticed my window open.

"Through that window."

"Are you sure? There could be someone in there."

"That's what I don't want. Let's hope there isn't." Rafael flew straight in and dropped me onto the desk before landing next to me. I went straight over to a suitcase next to the bed and went into it.

"What are you doing? If we get caught, we're gonna be in so much trouble."

"Relax, we won't get caught. Just hide under the bed or the desk and you'll be fine."

"But what about you?"

"You worry about you and I'll worry about me. Now go and hide or you'll both be caught along with me." Rafael went under the bed and watched the door as I continued to search through the suitcase. Eventually I found what I wanted. I put the bird-sized fanny pack around my waist and clipped it on. I quickly put in things I thought would be important, then zipped it back up. "I'm ready to leave, Rafael." He crawled out from under the bed and looked over to me, then his eyes froze on my pack.

"You got one of them?"

"Yes. It's mine. It's got all the essential inventory needed. Let's-" I was stopped by the sound of footsteps outside, then a knock.

"Anyone in there?" There was later some low talking on the other side, then another knock. "If someone is in there, answer now. This is your last chance!" I quickly went over and climbed onto the desk chair, heading for the window. Rafael quickly flew up in front of me.

"Quickly, Rafael. We need to go, now." I was about to reach the window when the door was kicked in. Two suited men barged in with handguns ready. They spotted us in an instant.

"Get him!" One of them shot a dart from his gun, which just missed Rafael, but when he dodged it he fell back from the window.

"Rafael!" I heard another dart get fired and quickly dived out of the way, the dart just missing. They continued to fire, and I dodged every one of them. Before I knew it, the window was right behind me. Another dart whizzed by me, but it caught me off unbalance. I fell back out the window towards the hard ground. I closed my eyes and stretched out my wings, then felt the soft rush of wind beneath my wings. I opened my eyes to see I was still in the air. "I-I-I'm flying! I'm flying! Woo hoooo! This is awe-" i looked down to see the ground was approaching quickly. "Oh no. I'm not flying." I started flapping my wings frantically to hopefully fly, but I couldn't no matter what I did. But by some luck, I landed on a clothesline and crashed softly on the ground in a pile of clothes. "Wow. What luck." I heard someone flying behind me and saw Rafael above me.

"You're alive! And I saw you gliding back there. Impressive!"

"More like falling gracefully. I thought you died."

"Did you forget? I can fly." I was about to talk more, but spotted the two men down the path.

"How did they get down so quickly?"

"What do you...ay carumba! How did they get down so quickly?"

"Forget that. Run!" I ran for it with Rafael flying above me. It didn't take long for the men to spot us. They pushed past other people, gaining on us. I found an alley to the right and ran straight down it. I hid behind a garbage can, and the men ran straight past. I let out a sigh of relief, as did Rafael.

"Who were those guys?"

"Don't ask me. They looked like FBI. But what would FBI want with us?"

"I don't know, amigo. Let's just get us back home before they come back."

"Agreed. Don't forget me." He picked me up and he flew as quickly as he could towards the forest.

* * *

**And done. See you next chapter and please review. Hope you enjoyed :)**


	10. Lost

**Next chapter is here. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

By midday, we reached the edge of the forest. Rafael dropped me onto a branch before perching onto it himself. He was panting from the long flight.

"I hate being old. I wish I was young again" Rafael panted.

"Don't wish that just yet. You still have a lot of life in you."

"I can't wait until you get old. Then you can know how it feels." Rafael almost fell off, but I caught him.

"Easy now. You need to rest." I sat him against the tree and collected some fruit on the end of the branch. "Here, eat this."

"What was all that about? What did they want with us? What were they doing there?"

"I have no idea. How close are we to your home?"

"Another 10 minutes for a flier, I think. But if we walk, then it may take almost 40 minutes" Rafael explained.

"How about you stay here while I get help?"

"No! You can't fly! You could be killed!" he argued as he stood up, but felt pain up his back. "Aaaaah! My damn back!"

"That is exactly why you aren't coming. I promise you that I will be fine. I may not have lived in the wild, but I know how to survive, even though I don't know as much as you. Now to find a way down." I looked down the tree and found several branches which I could use to get down. "I'll be back with help. Stay here." I popped down, but quickly popped my head up. "I mean it."

"Will you just go already! I'm an old bird in pain."

"Alright, alright, I'm gone." I dropped down from branch to branch until I got to the ground. I stayed motionless for a moment just in case something was around. Seeing it was clear, I moved in a random direction to hopefully find help.

* * *

I'm not sure how long I spent walking around, but it felt like hours. I felt like I was wandering in circles. It was raining all around. I was drenched, starved and fatigued.

"Hello? Is anyone out here? Please, I need help." For the whole time, I continued like that, but no one answered. Soon, I couldn't carry on anymore. I collapsed onto the wet ground, and struggled to get up, but I was too weak. "H..h..help m..me" I gasped before I passed out of consciousness. But before I did, I saw something grey approach.

* * *

**Rafael POV**

* * *

I had been waiting on William for over two hours. My back ached less, but I knew that I still couldn't fly without feeling any pain. All I could do was sit and wait. I stayed under the cover of the leaves to avoid getting wet, but it didn't do much. The rain continued to come down, and dripped through the leaves onto me. I was drenched within a few minutes. But soon, I heard someone flying towards me. I recognized the two wing beats anywhere.

"Nico! Pedro! I'm over here!" The two samba birds came around the tree and found me sitting there.

"Ralfi? What are you doing here?" Nico asked.

"Didn't William tell you?"

"You mean Willy? We ain't seen him all day. We were just heading to the club. So, what are you doing here?"

"I took Will into the city, but some humans came after us. We managed to get away, but this old back started acting up, so I can't fly. So Will went out there to get help."

"But he can't fly! And also it's raining! How could you let him go just like that?"

"Yeah Ralfi. That is so not poppin. We have to go after him before some snake or other hungry predator catches him."

"Don't you remember? I can't fly right now. How about one of you goes to get help while the other tries to find William."

"Okay. Pedro, you go get help. I'll go find William."

"Why can't I go find him?"

"Because I'm faster than you."

"Well I guess that's a good-hey! Did you just say I'm slow?"

"Enough you two!" I shouted at them. "William needs our help! Now hurry up and go, before I get Eva onto you when she finds me!" They both quickly sped off at the mention of her name. "Works every time" I chuckled to myself.

* * *

**Pedro POV**

* * *

"Gotta get help, gotta get help, gotta get help" I repeated continuously. _Ralfi's depending on me. I can't let him down. I won't let him down. _I made it over to Rafael's hollow, where Eva was waiting patiently.

"Is that you, Ralfi?"

"No, it isn't. He needs help, quickly." She shot straight up and was in front of me in seconds.

"Where is he?"

"Follow me."

* * *

**Nico POV**

* * *

"William! William, where are you?" The search for William was harder than I thought, and with the continuous pouring rain, it wasn't getting any easier. I tried to go from cover to cover to stay dry, but it was no use. I had somehow managed to become drenched like every other bird who dared to be outside. "William! Answer me please!" I found myself in a place I had been only moments before. "Great, now I'm going around in circles. This is not going well." I felt the rain begin to get heavier, which would make the search even more dangerous. "This isn't working. I'm going to have to go back. We'll find you soon, William." I sped off towards Rafael's hollow, hoping William would be okay.

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**That's it for Chapter 10. Hopefully they will find William soon. I'll see you all in the next chapter. Hope you enjoyed :)**


	11. Found

**Hello again, fellow readers. I just had my first day of work experience. At first, I was nervous but it then turned out good. But it also means less time on this story. Anyway, enjoy the next chapter of this story :)**

* * *

**Nico POV**

* * *

It had been half a day since William disappeared. We had spent every hour searching for him, but with no luck. We managed to find his trail, but it just ends. It looked as if he had lied in the mud for a moment before disappearing, probably carried off by something, but there were no other tracks to suggest another creature was next to him, so we feared that what took him was an aerial predator.

"It's been hours since we saw him" Bou started. "Why don't we just give up? He's gone."

"No!" Rafael shouted. "We won't give up! That's not what we do!"

"Face it, Rafael! He's gone, and you know it."

"Both of you, stop!" I yelled. They both stopped arguing and looked over to me. "We're going to continue searching. He's our friend, and friends look out for each other."

"Well he ain't my friend. Let's go Lou. We're leaving." He pushed past me and Pedro and prepared to leave.

"No, brother" Lou stated sternly. Everyone was surprised that she had talked, since she was mostly shy. "We need to help them. He may not be our friend, but these guys are. Do it for them. Do it for me." Bou stood hesitant for a moment, then let out a long sigh.

"Fine, you win. You always win over me, sis." Bou came back in and stood by her. "We'll stay and help, but only for a day. If we don't find him by then, we're leaving. Now let's get to work."

* * *

After arranging the meeting place and time, we split up into our search groups. Me, Pedro and Logan were to search around where the trail ended, Rafael and Bou were going along the edge of the city and Anita and Lou were going to search around where Rafael was found. There were no clouds, so it would be a clear sky to fly in.

"See anything, P?" I called ahead.

"Nah. The trail's ice cold."

"What about you, L?"

"Don't call me L, Nico. I don't like it, and no, nothing on my side."

"He has to be around here somewhere. I feel it in my heart."

"Hey bro, we know. Don't worry, we'll find him. Alive and kicking, hopefully not at us." I laughed at Pedro's lame joke, as did Logan.

"You always know how to cheer me up, don't ya P?"

"Of course I do. We're bros till the end." I knew he was right. William was alive and out there somewhere. And me and Pedro would find him by sticking together, like we always do. We spent a few more minutes before Logan stopped and was looking at the sky.

"Nico, I think it's time to go back. A storm is coming, and soon the rain will follow. We can't fly through the rain." I looked up and saw that Logan was right. A storm started brewing and the clouds darkened the sky above.

"We can't stop now! Just a bit more time is all we need."

"If we wait any longer, we are going to be lost as well!"

"Sorry Nico, but Logan's right. We need to return to Ralfi's crib before the weather gets nasty." I couldn't argue with Pedro, but I didn't agree either. I just stayed silent. We were about to head back when I caught a glimpse of someone moving through the trees. Soon, Rafael was in front of us.

"Guys, you have to come quick!"

"Why? Have you found him?"

"Just come, quickly! He's at the hollow!"

"What?!" we all exclaimed.

* * *

**Ten minutes earlier, William POV**

* * *

I woke up in a very familiar hollow, but wasn't sure how I ended up in it. The last I remembered, I was lost and tired and had passed out in the wet mud. now, I was awake in Rafael's home, laying in the middle of the floor. I managed to sit up before I heard someone outside. I glanced over to the entrance to see Eva coming in with a leaf sack in her beak, filled with food. When see saw me, she froze for a second before her beak fell her open and the sack fell to the floor, spilling it's contents. She stood there in awe, as if surprised to see me.

"William? What are you doing here?" she finally asked.

"I thought you could answer that for me. The last I remember was blacking out in mud, then I find myself here after. Did you guys find me?"

"No. We have been out looking for you everywhere. I'm staying to look after the kids, but it looks like I've found you as well. I have to tell them. Wait right here, I'll be back soon." While she was gone, I spent my time by picking up the spilled food. Just as I finished, she returned with Rafael and Bou in tow.

"William!"Rafael yelled out. "You're here! Where have you been?"

"I'm not sure. Like I told Eva, I passed out out there, then woke up in here. You have any idea how?"

"No idea. We should get the other guys. Bou, go get your sister and Anita. I'll go find the guys." Rafael and Bou left to get the others and tell them the news. I sat back, thinking of how I got here. _Who found me?_

* * *

**And that's another chapter done. Hope you enjoyed it :)**


	12. A Child's Advice

**I'm back! Let's continue with the story. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**William POV**

* * *

Everyone stayed at Rafael's hollow that night, since I was found in the afternoon and another storm had come just after. Inside, it was very clumped up and I felt that I needed some air. Carefully watching where I tread, I quietly tip-toed to the entrance. I noticed that the storm had passed, and above the moonlight shone down to the forest. I stopped on the branch outside and looked to the moon. One question kept on going through my head. _Why did this happen to me?_ But no matter how hard I thought, I could never find the answer.

"Why is this happening to me?" I shouted in frustration. I kicked at the tree, then felt a sudden pain. I held my talon in my wing as I hopped around and howled in pain.

"Why are you dancing, mister?" I stopped at the little voice and ignored the pain, but flinched as I placed my injured talon on the ground.

"I wasn't dancing. I was just in pain" I explained to one of Rafael's kids.

"It looked like you were dancing. And it was very funny."

"You thought it was funny, huh? Well it didn't feel funny." I looked down at my sore foot. The anger I had felt before had gone, but was now replaced by sadness.

"I didn't mean to be mean." I looked up from the ground at the small chick.

"Excuse me?"

"You're crying, aren't you?"

"No, no I'm not crying. You didn't make me upset. I'm fine, really." But the chick looked unconvinced.

"I know when you're lying. I always know when papa is lying, and I know you are as well." The chick edged his was towards me and sat next to me. "Come on, you can tell me. I won't tell no one. Promise." I looked back at him and saw his eyes looking even more pleading.

"No, don't you do those eyes with me. It doesn't work." I looked away, but couldn't resist looking back. His eyes seemed to grow larger, looking even more pleading. I heard what sounded like whimpering, so I gave in. "Okay, okay. Fine. I am sad, but not because of my foot. I'm sad because...I once had a family. I was going to have a wife and start my own family. I was living the good life." I felt happy to remember those memories, but then I came back to reality. "I thought I had it all, then I ended up here" I sighed. "No offense, I mean, it's a beautiful place but, I just don't belong here. Do you get what I'm saying?" He seemed to understand and gave a nod.

"You're not the first that feels like this. Once, me and my brothers and sisters found these two blue birds-like you- walking through the forest." I was surprised to hear that there were others that had come through here. _Maybe they can help. _"Anyway, we attacked them, before dad stopped us. He then left to help them, and came a day later. A week later, one of the blue birds came to visit. I was curious and went to listen. He was asking my dad if he should stay or go back to his old life. You know what my dad said?"

"I've never heard this story, so no" I answered.

"He said 'follow your heart'. He always says that. And you know what happened next?"

"Like I said before, never heard the story."

"He followed his heart. Now, he has a family with the other blue bird and is very happy."

"That's a good story. Just wondering, what's your name?" I asked.

"Why would you want to know?"

"So I know who to thank for the advise."

"okay. My name's Tipa. So are you going to come back inside?" I hesitated for a moment, then shook my head.

"I think I need to think over a few things out here. You get inside. I don't want to get you into trouble."

"Hey! I can take care of myself. This isn't the first time I've snuck out." he was about to leave, but I had one more thing to say.

"Hey kid." He stopped and looked back over to me. "Thanks. You're a good kid, Tipa. Rafael is lucky to have you."

"Thanks, mister. That means a lot to me."

"Don't mention it. Seriously, don't. Your father might get angry at me for talking with you at this time of night. Now get to bed already. You don't want to be tired tomorrow, do you?" Tipa shrugged before going back in. I looked back to the pale moon above, thinking about Tipa's advice. _The bird he spoke of...his problem was similar. But my problem was much more complex. To me, my problem was much more serious. But maybe it was time. Time to live a new life. _"I'm sorry, but I may not ever see you again" I whispered. "I'll miss you, Emma."


	13. Meeting Blu

**I've noticed my chapters are a bit short, so I'm going to try to make this one a bit longer. I've also finished work experience, so now I have more time for the story. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

I walked out tiredly from the hollow and onto the branch. Looking down, I could see the reason of all the commotion. Rafael and Eva seemed to be talking to someone who was hidden from my sight, and the kids were flying around everywhere. I grabbed hold of the vine at the side of the branch with both talons and slowly climbed down.

"Hi mister!" I cried out in surprise and almost fell from the branch. I craned my head up to see Tipa hovering in front of me.

"Don't do that, kid! You could have got me killed!" I knew he could see my frustration, since he backed off a bit. "Hey, I didn't mean to yell at you. Just be a bit quiet next time please, okay?"

"Okay mister. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. And please, call me Will. Now can you help me up?"

"Sure." He used his head to lift my back and head towards the vine so I could get a better grip before continuing.

"Who are your parents talking to?"

"Some old friends. Remember-"

"Hey bro! You comin or what?" one of his siblings asked.

"Yeah, I'm coming. Sorry Will, but I gotta go. See you later!"

"Bye kid! And play safe!" I looked down to see that Rafael hadn't moved at all, but Eva had disappeared from my sight. It was only a few more seconds before I was close enough to drop. Or so I thought. I let go before realizing the ground was further than it appeared and landed with a thud. Rafael stopped talking to the mystery friend and came running over to me.

"Are you alright, amigo?" I managed a groan in response from my beak in the dirt. I lifted myself from the ground with Rafael's help, along with another bird.

"Thanks Rafael." I turned to face his friend, and was overcome by surprise. Standing before me was another blue bird like me, but with darker feathers and brown eyes. "H-hi t-there" I stuttered.

"Hello to you too. I see you have a pack like what I have." I was confused at first, then noticed the fanny pack around his waist.

"Oh yeah, I do. Where'd you get it?"

"My old owner gave it to me. What about yours?" In an instant, I remembered who once owned it. My first pet, a bird, owned it. He eventually died from an illness, so I kept it in memory. I didn't want to say that, or it would reveal my past life, so I lied.

"My owner did as well. I guess you're a pet?"

"First of all, I was a companion, and second of all, not anymore. I live with my own family of birds now. There's a whole tribe of us. That reminds me, who are you and how did you end up in the wild if you're a companion?"

"Long story. Name's William, and I have no idea how. That's the short version, anyway. What about you?"

"My name is Blu, minus the E. I have a long story. I could tell you it later if you want to hear it."

"Sure. I'm sure it's great."

"Hey Blu, we've been having so much de javu with William here" Rafael interrupted. "He's so much like you!"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean he's a pet, doesn't originally come from Rio and also-" he stopped when he saw the actions I was making, telling him to stop. "He is...bilingual, just like you."

"Is he really? Maybe he can show me some tricks. Can you?"

"Sorry, my throat is getting a bit sore" I pretended to cough. Blu was about to say something else, but someone else spoke first.

"Is this your visitor, Eva?" Behind me, female blue macaw landed with Eva next to her. She had lighter feathers than Blu and teal eyes and a pink flower in her hair.

"Yes it is. Jewel, this is William."

"Nice to meet you. I see you've met my mate." She walked over to Blu and gave him a quick peck on his cheek. _So this must be the blue bird Tipa was talking about last night._

"Yes, we have" Blu inquired. "And we seem to have a lot in common. We both were once companions, and both are bilingual." Jewel couldn't help to giggle.

"You also look alike, except that he has a lighter tone of feathers than you and has blue eyes." We looked at each other, and realized that she was right. We did look very much alike, besides the differences she pointed out and that I only had five head feathers that were curved slightly lower than Blu's, who had three head feathers. "So how'd you get here?"

"I don't know. I just woke up with to find Rafael looking after me. That's it."

"Then how do you know you're a p-" She noticed Blu giving her a look and quickly changed her words. "Then how do you know you're a companion?"

"I get bits and pieces. I haven't got much, but I also have a tendency to black out. A lot."

"That must be hard" Blu replied.

"It sure is. It's a real pain. Blu was just telling me he would tell me his story."

"I can help with that, since it's our story" Jewel said, emphasizing 'our', making Blu nervous.

"I forgot to mention that. Sorry honey."

"Let's all go inside. Then, we'll share our story."

* * *

**That's another chapter completed. I hope you enjoyed and also hope it was long enough. See you in the next chapter :)**


	14. Blu and Jewel's story

**I hope you enjoy the story so far. And please, more reviews! I'd like some feedback. Also, as Blu and Jewel tell their story, some parts will be skipped. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

It took me a while to climb the vine up the tree, so when I was halfway, Rafael carried me the rest of the way. Inside, Rafael's family were already sitting around Blu and Jewel with three small blue macaws, which were probably Blu and Jewel's children.

"What took you so long, Will?" Jewel queried. Rafael was about to blurt my inability to fly again, but I started first.

"When Rafael found me, my wing was injured" I lied. She studied me closely, obviously not believing me. But she just shrugged.

"Okay then." She looked over the group of children, then looked as if she had forgotten me. "I almost forgot! William, these are our children." The three blue macaw chicks stepped out in front of me so I could see them. "This is Tiago, Bia and Carla." She waved a wing over each one as she introduced them.

"Nice to meet you, sir" Bia piped up.

"No need for that, child. It makes me feel old."

"If you say so, pops" Tiago teased.

"I am not that old. I am quite young."

"Then what do we call you? Carla asked.

"You can call me Will, or William. It's your choice."

"How about...W?" Tiago asked.

"That's fine with me. As long as it isn't sir or mister or pops, I'm fine."

"What about oldie?"

"Tiago Gunderson, stop calling Mr. William old!" Blu demanded.

"Yes dad."

"Good. Now, let's begin with the story, shall we?" All the kids sat on the ground, with me in the mix. Blu was first to speak. "It all began in a small town called Moose Lake in Minnesota, where me and my companion, Linda, lived. One day, a strange man came to our book store, saying he was looking for me. He explained to us that I was the last male of my species, and that Jewel was the last female. He wanted to bring me to Rio, which Linda at first declined. But the next day, we were off to Rio."

"What convinced her" I asked.

"Let's just say there was a little accident and leave it that. Now, where was I? Oh yes, going to Rio. Once we arrived at the aviary, I saw that the strange man, whose name was Tulio, had been saving many birds."

"Hey Blu, you skipped where we came in." I turned my attention to Nico and Pedro who had just arrived.

"How about we tell them, P."

"I think that sounds poppin. One day, me and Nico were flyin around when we saw this here blue bird in a cage. We tried to bust him out, but he didn't want to. He then told us he was here for a irl, so we gave him advice, which was to make the first move."

"So that was your idea?" Jewel realized. Nico and Pedro made a nervous laugh before sitting down also.

"Thank you for interrupting the story to put in your part. As I was saying, the aviary was full of birds. When Linda brought up Jewel, I saw another human with scratches all over his face, who said it was Jewel who did it. That made me scared."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault. He shouldn't have interrupted my privacy."

"And that is why I'm still nervous around you. Anyway, on with the story. Tulio put me in the enclosure with Jewel, and when I first laid eyes on her, I thought she looked like an angel. That was before she held me to the ground and began strangling me."

"So that's how you met Jewel?"

"Yep. Turns out, she was trying to escape, but before she could, we were captured by smugglers."

* * *

"After Nigel finished his crazy song, I asked if Jewel was okay."

"And all I wanted was out" Jewel continued. "So I began slamming myself against the cage, but then Blu surprised me. He opened the cage, and I took my chance. We might have made it, if he knew how to fly."

"It's not my fault. Anyway, what happened next?"

* * *

"The next day, little nerd bird here tried to break the chain, but instead it backfired. After that, it was the first time we met Rafael's children. But it didn't go well. Before their attack could become more worse, old Rafael himself came to the rescue. The kids bolted as soon as he used the 'mom' word. When he saw we were chained together, and after using some persuasion on Eva, he took us to see someone called Luiz, who could help."

* * *

"Once we reached the market, Rafael, along with the samba masters over there, took us to their little club. At first, I thought it was good, besides all the health code violations-"

"Again with the big words!" Rafael cried. "That's why I like you. Nothing you say makes any sense."

"That's just what you said at that time."

* * *

"On the way to Luiz's, Rafael thought it might be a good time to tell Jewel my feelings. I was so close, but the plan failed, with me choking on a flower petal."

"You were so close, and yet so far." Nico imitated a bomb dropping then exploding. I couldn't help to laugh.

* * *

"When I saw the saw coming closer and closer, I thought it was all over. Of course, we were saved by Luiz's drool. The chain slid right off, and we were free. But not for long."

* * *

I rode Luiz thought the parade, searching for the float holding Jewel. Once I got to it though, Nigel was waiting for me. I never expected the trap, and was captured instantly."

"It was so heroic, even though he didn't save us. But he did later."

"Yes I did. I saved the birds on the plane, got the smugglers captured and sent Nigel flying through the propeller. But when Jewel began falling with her broken wing, I did what my heart told me to do. I dived after her."

"But you couldn't fly" I pointed out.

"Well, as Rafael says, when you feel the rhythm of your heart, you fly. And when Jewel kissed me as we fell, I felt the rhythm. I flew. And that's it." By the end, I was crying.

"That is the most romantic story I have ever heard."

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**And that's it. I hope you enjoyed, and please more reviews :)**


	15. A Surprise Lesson

**Next chapter is here. Hope you enjoy :)**

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**Rafael POV**

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After Blu finished the story, Eva and Jewel left with the kids to a nearby pond. I used this as my chance to discuss some things with the other guys about William.

"Hey, Blu. Over here. You too, Nico and Pedro." We gathered in a circle away from William, who was looking through his pack.

"What is it, Ralfi?"

"Well, it's about William."

"What about him?" Blu asked.

"It's a problem he has. You see, he doesn't know how to fly."

"I knew you were hiding something!" I glared at Blu as if to tell him to be quiet, then glanced over at William. He was still looking through his pack. "Sorry. So what's this got to do with us?"

"We need to teach him. I've tried, but I'm going to need help. You guys willing to help?"

"That sounds poppin! I'm in."

"Count me in too."

"And me, Ralfi. When do we start?"

"Tomorrow morning, before everyone else wakes up. Meet on the branch outside. We'll be waiting."

"Gotcha. Let's go, Pedro. The club needs our attention."

"I think I'd better go too. Jewel wouldn't want me to miss out on all the fun."

"I'll see you all later then." I watched the others fly off before going to retire for the day. Before I fell asleep, though, I noticed William holding something. As I got closer, I saw it was a photo of a family of humans. It had a young man with two older adults and a little girl. "Are they your owners?" William freaked out, throwing the picture in the air. I quickly caught it and gave it to William who had quickly recovered.

"Please don't do that again."

"Sorry. So, are they the ones who cared for you?" William looked back at the photo with sad eyes. I could swear I saw some tears.

"Yes, they are." William dropped the photo back into the pack before going over to his spare nest. "I miss them so much. I wish I could have said goodbye."

"You know humans can't understand you."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. But if I had just one chance to say one word, it would have been that." He turned away to his corner, hiding his face, but I knew he was crying. And I knew why. Being alone with no one to care for him, no one to love, and everyone he used to know would probably have forgotten about him by now. But we were here for him, and we always would be.

* * *

**William POV**

* * *

Until the next morning, I had been sleeping peacefully. That was until someone had rudely awoken me. My eyes peaked open, revealing Rafael standing over me.

"This better be good, Rafael."

"Trust me, it is." I caught a glance of the forest outside. It was still dark.

"Let me sleep! The sun isn't even up yet" I complained.

"We don't want the others to be awake yet. Now come on, the other guys are waiting." What was he talking about? I quietly followed him past his sleeping chicks onto the branch outside where three other birds were waiting.

"Whatever you guys woke me up for, it had better be important."

"Trust us, it is" Blu assured.

"Yeah, it'll be poppin!"

"Do you have to say 'poppin' at the end of every sentence you say?" I asked.

"It's just my thing. Don't you have a thing?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I?"

"What is it, then?"

"Well, it's..um..it's..." The truth was, I didn't really have a thing. At least, not a bird thing. "Can we just go? The sun will be up soon."

"He's right. We have at least 10 minutes before it comes up."

"Don't worry. I only wanted to leave before they wake up. We're going to be out until midday."

"What are we going to be doing that takes that long?" Rafael gave me a smirk that made me nervous."

"Flying lessons."

* * *

"Hold still, Will!" Rafael instructed, but I continued to struggle in his talons.

"I'm fine with walking!" I argued. "I don't need to fly!"

"Yes you do! All birds need to fly!"

"Well not this bird! Just let me go!"

"Fine, have it your way." In an instant, I was falling towards the jungle below. At the last second, I was scooped back up by Blu.

"There was no need for that, Rafael."

"He had it coming. I've had enough of my children arguing against me. He's acting just like them! A child!"

"Rather be a child then fly" I shot back. Rafael turned his head away, murmuring an insult in Portuguese.

"What have you got against flyin, anyway?" Pedro asked.

"I'm afraid that I can't fly."

"Never hurts to try."

"Unless part of it is throwing me off a cliff."

"Actually, that's part of my plan" Rafael replied.

"What!?" I started wriggling around again to escape from the upcoming lessons. "That's suicide! I'm going to die" I cried.

"Don't worry about it. Blu survived."

"Just barely. I was lucky there was a glider going beneath us."

"Exactly! And around this time of day, I'm pretty sure there aren't any gliders gliding around."

"Then we'll catch you. Just stop worrying and get it over an done with. We're almost there anyway. Just look ahead." He gestured towards a large cliff up ahead, towering over the jungle below.

"I'm jumping off that!? That's it, I'm dead. Can I at least have a moment to write my will?" The others just rolled their eyes as if it was nothing. But it was something. I was probably going to die trying to fly, and I'll never see Emma again.

* * *

**The flying lessons shall commence...in the next chapter. See you then :)**


	16. The Flying Lessons Begin

**Hello again! Now, let the flying lessons begin! Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

"Here we are, Will. Welcome to the Flying Lesson Cliff!" Rafael shouted.

"Is that what it's really called?" Blu asked.

"Actually, no. I thought of the name myself."

"Can we just get on with this please? I don't like to be kept waiting for my death."

"Stop worrying already! You aren't going to die! Even ask Blu."

"Actually, Rafael, I did almost die. How about we leave the cliff for last and to start off, maybe teach him some of the basics."

"I guess we could do that. It's decided, Will. You won't be jumping." I sighed in relief. "Not just yet, anyway." My relief drained away quickly, and was once again replaced by fear.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine" Blu reassured.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am. I trust Rafael with my life. Most of the time."

"Then what's the first activity on the list?" All the others smiled, and I smiled nervously back. **(Montage Time!)**

* * *

"Put some muscle into it!" Blu shouted at me.

"This is hard! You try doing this for 5 minutes!" I pulled myself up again completed another chin up on the branch.

"Come on, Will! Just 20 more to go!"

* * *

"Feel the burn, Willy!"

"My name is not Willy, Nico! It's William!" I did another star jump before falling to the ground exhausted.

"Come on! Do 10 more, then you can have a break."

"Really?"

"No, I was just kidding. Now keep it goin!"

"Why does this have to happen to me?" I groaned.

* * *

"Can you feel the blood pumpin? Is it poppin like crazy as you shake those feathers and beat those wings?" Pedro asked as we danced around.

"I don't understand how blood is supposed to pop, and why are we doing this? How is this exercise?"

"I don't know, but the others are enjoying it." I looked over at the others who were also dancing and singing.

* * *

"Alright, amigo, now I want you to lift these with your wings." He pointed at a small stick with two brazil nuts on either end.

"Are you serious? This is gonna be easy." I proceeded to lift it high above my head. Rafael backed away a few steps, watching the stick above my head.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" he warned, but I didn't listen.

"Why? They're so l-" I suddenly felt myself tipping as the weight started to kick in. "Oh dear." I fell back, stuck underneath the stick.

"I told you not to do that." I narrowed my eyes at him before attempting to lift it off.

* * *

I stood in the clearing with the others standing in front of me.

"Now, for the final challenge" Blu announced with a dark, low voice.

"Challenge? I thought you were teaching me to fly, which you haven't yet."

"Sorry. Always wanted to say that. Anyway, the last part of training. You are going to...glide!" They stepped aside to reveal a cliff, a straight drop down.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, we are."

"Don't worry, it's a shorter drop than the other one, and there are more leaves to cushion the fall."

"But I'm not ready to fly!"

"But you are ready to glide. Like you said when you did it before, it's just falling gracefully."

"That wasn't gliding! And I did that because I was being chased by people who probably wanted to kill me, and right now, I'm not being chased."

"Wish granted." I looked at him confused, then heard a low growl. Next, there was a drooling bulldog running straight for me.

"Aaaaaahhh! Don't let it eat me!" I jumped for my life with my eyes closed. After feeling only the wind, I peaked my eyes open. "I don't believe it" I whispered to myself. I was gliding through the air. But it wasn't for long. I started to drop at an angle, then I was plummeting down. Luckily, Blu was there to catch me. The others came along the side, gliding along through the air.

"See! I told you he could do it!"

"Can we just go back now? I think I'm going to have a panic attack from a near-death experience by a dog."

"Oh, you mean Luiz? He wouldn't hurt a fly. We asked him to do that." I turned my head and shot a cold glare at him.

"Damn you."

* * *

Once we arrived back at Rafael's home, we found everyone in a panic. Rafael was the first to face Eva's wrath.

"Where have you been? It better not have been the club" she snapped. I could see the fear on Rafael's face, and the same on Blu, who was getting the same talk.

"We weren't. We were helping our friend here learn to fly. And it went quite well."

"I wouldn't say that. I'm no where closer to flying then I was before."

"Cheer up, William" Blu said. "Did you forget? I once couldn't fly either, and Rafael tried really hard to teach me. Give him a little credit for trying at least."

"I am. I'm just saying that I'm probably going to be stuck like this for the rest of my life."

"Don't be like that. I felt the same way, and yet, here I am, flying around with my one and only."

"That's how you learnt to fly. You felt the 'rhythm'. But I won't feel the rhythm. There's no one for me." Jewel decided to cut in and help.

"There's always someone for you. You just have to look." She pointed to my head as she spoke. "Not with this, but with this" she finished, pointing to my chest. "You'll find someone. We'll help if you want."

"No, it's fine. Can I have some alone time?"

"Sure. Come on guys, let's leave him be." As soon as they were gone, I pulled out one of the photos. It was a photo of Emma.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I'm not coming home for a while." I put it back before going to join the others for the day.

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**Another chapter done. I also have a goal for this story: to have at least ten reviews by the end of the story. Hope you enjoyed and see you in the next chapter :)**


	17. A Quick Check Up

**Here is another chapter. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Today was a special day for Blu, since he was going to meet his owner. It was partly special for me because he thought it might be a good idea for me to get a check up, and we had a long argument about that. Eventually, he had won with the help of the others, and no one had sided with me, so I was outvoted. They also made quite a good argument. By the time we arrived at the aviary, I started to have second thoughts.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked Blu.

"Don't worry, everything will be fine" he assured. "Just ignore Tulio. He's a bit crazy."

"What do you mean?" Before he could answer, the door swung open with two people standing there with joyful expressions. One was a female with orange hair and fair skin. The other was a male with dark brown hair and tanned skin. Both had glasses and wore yellow shirts with a small logo on it. The female had tan pants while the male had blue jeans.

"Good morning Blu" said the female.

"Morning Linda" Blu replied. But I knew she couldn't understand him. No human could understand a bird, yet we understand them. To think I was just as ignorant. Maybe if I had focused hard enough...

"Will, is something bothering you?" Rafael asked. His voice interrupted my train of thought and brought me back to reality.

"No, I'm fine. Just a bit nervous." Rafael was about to give some friendly assurance when we heard this horrible attempt of squawking. My wings swiftly came to my ears to try to block out the sound."What...is that?" I managed to call out over the loud sound.

"That? That's Tulio." Rafael gestured over to the man who was attempting to communicate with Blu.

"I see what Blu meant by crazy." I groaned at the sound, wishing he would stop. Eventually he did, thanks to Linda.

"Tulio, that's enough for now. I think your scaring the poor bird there" she said, pointing at me.

"Hey! I wasn't scared!" I argued, but it only came out as a squawk to them. Though, I could tell that they understood I was insulted by it.

"So Blu, is this a new friend? He looks like another blue macaw." Blu gave a nod, then made some signals with his talons. I didn't understand, but Linda did. She went inside with Blu on her shoulder with Tulio by her side.

"Come on in guys!" Blu called back. Everyone but me went in. I cautiously walked through the door. I still didn't feel sure about the check up, but I couldn't disappoint the others. Maybe the Tulio guy could figure out how I had changed. Then maybe, just maybe, he could change me back. I saw Blu up on the counter and was amazed by what I saw. He was holding a pen in talon, writing on a piece of paper. When he was finished, he backed away so they could read.

"So his name is William?" Tulio queried. Blu nodded in response. "Bit of an odd name for a bird, unless he's a pet. Is he a pet, Blu?" Blu looked over to me with unsure eyes.

"Should I tell them?"

"Go ahead. They may as well know." He turned back to them and nodded again. Tulio read the paper again, then looked a bit pleased.

"You read my mind Blu. Come on William, time for a quick check up." I shot a glare over at Blu before unwillingly going over to Tulio. "Don't be scared. It's only a small check of your health. No needles needed." That made me feel comfortable, but I was still anxious. He carefully picked me up and carried me to a small room with a bench in the middle and tools on either side of the room. Seeing those tools made me as nervous as before. He set me down on the cold bench then put on some gloves, making a snapping sound. I gulped, thinking of all the possibilities he could do. When he came over, I felt the urge to run, but it was too late. I closed my eyes, bracing for some form of pain, but I only felt a soft hand. I opened my eyes to see he was only looking over my feathers. The only other things he did was looking in my beak and shining a light in my eyes. "Everything seems to be in check, except for your eyes. I've never seen another bird with eyes such as them. They're magnificent! I'll keep you here for a day, just in case you have a bit of a problem. I'd love to study those eyes." He carried me back out of the room, only to put me in another room. It looked like a fake jungle. He placed me on the ground before walking out and closing the door behind me.

"This is just great! Now I'm stuck here for another day, only because he's curious about my eyes. I haven't even seen what's so special about them." I looked down to see there was a little stream of water at my talons. I looked closer and saw that my eyes were more human than bird. "Oh. That's what's so special about them. Maybe this means my transformation wasn't complete. I wonder what other human traits I still have." I continued to check my reflection, but found nothing. "So it's just the eyes. That's just great." Little did I know that, as I was complaining, someone else was listening to me from the surveillance room. That someone came in behind me. I heard them and turned around to see their face full of confusion and puzzlement. I too looked in surprise. "Fernando?" He stumbled back in surprise when I spoke, as if he understood me.

"How did you just talk?"

"How can you understand me?" We were both staring at each other in silence. After a long moment, I broke the silence. "It's been a few days since I last saw you, kid."

"You called me Fernando before. How do you know my name?"

"Because we've met before."

"I have to go. I have to tell my dad!" He started for the doorway, but I couldn't let anyone else know.

"No, wait!" He stopped just in the doorway, then closed the door before slowly coming back to me. "You can't tell anyone. I also want some answers."

"So do I. You said you've met me before. What's your name?"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

"William." His face filled with shock.

"Y-you can't be that William. Can you?"

"I'm afraid so, kid. Tell me, what's the last you remember?" Fernando sat down in front of me and prepared to retell what had happened.

"After you fell, I climbed down after you. I couldn't see you since there were lots of branches on the way down blocking my view. Once I got there, all I found..were these." He held out my phone and wallet.

"Was that it? Nothing else." Fernando thought a bit more, than answered again.

"There was a trail, as if you were dragged away. Whatever did this to you dragged you away before doing it. I'm still having a hard time believing this."

"Me too. When I first found out, I panicked. Fell out of the tree I was in. The toucan out there took care of me. Are those your parents out there?"

"Yeah. My adoptive parents. Just wondering, what happened to you after this happened?"

""You might want to stay a while, and hopefully no one else comes in." He made himself comfortable, then I began my story.

* * *

**Another chapter done. And the longest in this story so far. Stay tuned for the next one tomorrow (hopefully). See you all next time :)**


	18. Stuck In The Aviary

**Next chapter is here. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Once I had finished my story, Fernando gave me my phone and wallet, but they were no use to me.

"Keep them for now. I don't have any use for them...but thanks. You're a good kid, and I owe you one for finding them. When I return to my normal self, that's if I do, I'll return to you for them, as well as giving you something in return."

"I don't need anything."

"Don't be like that. You know what, I have 100 reals in my wallet. They are yours to keep, if you want them."

"Are you sure? I don't want to feel like I'm stealing from you."

"It's no worries. I'l be leaving for home anyway, and you would have more use for them than me. Go on, take them. You've earned it."

"Thank you! Thank you so much! Is there anything else you need me to do?" That gave me another idea.

"Yes, there is. Just one more favor."

* * *

**Blu's POV**

* * *

I stood there, watching my old companion and her husband talking about William in hushed voices. But I could hear them clearly.

"There's something very strange about that bird" Tulio started. "I just know it. I can see it in his eyes."

"I'm sure there is, Tulio. Do you want to study him more?" Linda asked.

"I would like to. We may have discovered a new species of macaw, related to the Spix macaw."

"I'm pretty sure he's the same species, just with a rare genetic mutation with the eyes."

"No one has ever seen a defect like this. It's magnificent." As they spoke, they did not notice Fernando approaching them. When he was right beside Linda and tapped on her shoulder, their attention turned to him.

"What is it, Fernando?" Linda asked in a motherly tone.

"Can we go to the book store? I feel like reading something."

"Of course we can. We need a break from work, anyway." She turned her head slightly at Tulio before finishing. "All of us." I could tell Tulio felt nervous like I usually do with Jewel.

"O-okay, w-we'll go, just a-as soon as I get some-"

"We're going now. No buts. And Blu and Jewel are coming, aren't you?" The look she gave me sent the same feeling Tulio had through me, giving me chills. I gave a shaky nod. "Good. Let's go then." I flew onto Linda's shoulder, as did Jewel on Tulio's and the kids Fernando's, then we headed for their jeep outside.

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

After Fernando had left, I made my way up one of the trees using the pegs attached to it, but with slight difficulty. It took me at least 5 minutes to reach the hole in the tree. It resembled a hollow, except it was fake and the nest wasn't as comfortable as the one back at Rafael's. It was unusual because I thought I would be more comfortable in something man-made, but it was the total opposite. _When I got back to human, this would be one of the first things I aim to change. How could people think birds were comfortable in this. It feels so itchy and rough, _I thought. I rolled and squirmed around, trying to find a comfortable position, but it was no good. Every position didn't feel right, so I decided to sleep somewhere else. I went out onto the branch and tugged at one of the plastic leaves until it came off then went back into the tree. Using the leaf as a blanket, I laid down on the hollow's floor, trying to go to sleep. It didn't take long, and I soon drifted into sleep.

* * *

But later that day, I was rudely awakened by a hushed voice.

"Hey, you, get up." I opened my eyes wearily to see a tall female blue macaw standing above me. I later realized that the macaw was in fact a Hyacinth by spotting the yellow around it's eyes and behind it's beak. "What are you doing here?" she asked, acting very dominant towards me. I then realized that this must have been her hollow.

"I'm very sorry. I didn't mean to intrude."

"I'm sure you didn't" she replied in a skeptical tone. "I'll give you to the count of three to leave this tree."

"I'm sorry? I haven't done anything to-"

"One" she counted, taking a menacing step forward.

"You have no reason to act so rude. I've realized my mistake and I will be-"

"Two." She took another step forward, bearing down upon me.

"Okay, okay! I'm going." I ducked past her and stopped on the branch. I tried to reach for the nearest peg, but almost fell. It was out of my reach. "Just great. Now I'm stuck up here." I heard the tap of a claw behind me and saw the macaw waiting impatiently.

"Are you going, or should I start counting again?"

"I've reached a complication. I can't exactly get down."

"Yes you can. You just need to fly."

"That's the complication. I can't." Her beak gaped open in disbelief.

"Unbelievable." She stood silent with her beak hanging open for a moment, then sighed. "You're hopeless. Do I have to carry you down?"

"If you want me off this tree, then yes." She groaned and muttered something to herself before trudging over to me. I reversed a bit, afraid she would do something else. But instead, she took off and grabbed me without warning. I yelped in surprise and felt a small pain where she was holding. "You're holding me a little tight."

"Don't complain, or I'll drop you" she threatened.

"Okay" I whispered. She headed for a smaller hollow which was bare inside.

"Here. You can sleep in here for the night. Don't let me catch you anywhere my tree again. Am I understood?"

"Yes, ma'am." She walked out and prepared herself to take off again. "Wait! Before you go, can I have a name?" She remained hesitant, then turned back to me.

"It's Lilian."

"I'm William. It's nice to meet you, Lilian."

"Don't try to act all sweet on me" she growled before leaving for the night. I shrugged off the feeling of fear I had and laid in the middle of the floor.

"A nest would be nice." Despite the cold, I eventually drifted to sleep for the night.

* * *

**Another chapter complete, and another OC from my other series. I hope you enjoyed and don't forget to review. See you all in the next chapter :)**


	19. Days Turn To Weeks

**Another Chapter, and most likely eleven more to go. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

I had slept for a while before Tulio woke me up. He had carefully picked me up and taken me to the examination room. He studied my feathers, beak and my wings, but mostly my eyes. He was so fascinated by them, and I knew why. Once he had finished, he took me back to the fake enclosure.

"I hope you don't mind, but I'd like to keep you in for a couple of more days. Is that okay with you?"

"I'll show you what I'm okay with, you big-" I continued to insult him, but all he heard was squawk squawk squawk.

"I knew you would understand. Now off you go. Oh, and be careful of Lilian. She's quite a feisty one." _Thanks for the warning _I imagined myself saying in a sarcastic tone. I wish I could, but I couldn't let my secret out. He'd probably freak out and keep me here for a couple of years, and I couldn't stay here for long. I had to find a way back to my natural self. Hopefully, Fernando would hurry back soon with some answers. It wasn't long after Tulio had left with Lilian when Fernando came rushing through the door with a backpack, looking like something heavy was inside.

"You took your time."

"Sorry I'm late. There were a lot of books to look through. I brought the ones I thought would be important." He placed down his pack and a pile of books spilled out. "I skimmed through them, but didn't fully read them."

"Great. A bunch of reading. As if I didn't do enough before." He slid a book over to me and I started flipping through the pages. After half a minute, Fernando found something.

"Here's something interesting. It says that some gods punished people by turning them into animals. Do you think that's what happened to you?"

"I don't think so. Haven't done anything to be punished for. Let's keep o looking before jumping to conclusions." We read some more when Fernando found another possibility.

"What about a witch doctor? One could have been in the jungle."

"Highly unlikely. The path has been searched thoroughly and no sign of someone living there has been found. Still, it could have happened." We kept reading until I found something interesting. "Well this is interesting. You know how science has taken a big jump and some scientists have achieved cloning? What if some scientist did this to me?"

"You don't believe that. Do you?"

"It's a possibility. I mean, with everything that's happened, what if someone has had a major breakthrough, and I was the test subject. What if someone found a way to close the barrier between man and animal. What if that someone could change anyone to an animal, and what if they can change them back?"

"Even if that was the reason, where would you find this scientist. He could be anywhere."

"That's the hard part. I have to remember."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I don't know, but I have to try. Anyway, thanks for the help. I really appreciate it. You can have another 50 reals if you want. Just think of this as a job and that's your pay. You're doing great kid. Keep it up." Fernando gave me a smile before leaving. Just after he left, Tulio came back in with Lilian in his hands. I could see his hands were bandaged, and it looked as if it was done recently. He set her down then flinched back, but she just stood there, looking harmless. Tulio's fear left and he felt the urge to reach down. I cringed when I heard his yelp and saw her beak on his finger. He pulled back and went out, closing the door behind him.

"That's what you get for trying to invade my personal space." I shuddered in fear as I crouched down in a nearby bush. I could hear her footsteps nearing, then her wings beating against the air. She lifted off from the ground and headed for her tree. Before she came back out, I sprinted over to my tree and climbed the pegs with ease, since I had gotten the hang of it. But I still had a little trouble halfway up. Once I was up, I went over to the corner I slept in the day before and almost instantly went off to sleep.

* * *

The next morning was the same as the last. Tulio took me to the examination room, studied me a bit, then returned me. In the time he had taken Lilian, I would rush over to where all the food was, take a bit then return before she got back. Then, before I went to sleep, I hoped I would be out the next day. Soon, days turned to weeks. I had been stuck in there for two weeks now, and I got used to things over time. I had tried to talk to Lilian in those two weeks, but she always shooed me away or insulted me in some way. But today was different. I was picking what fruits to take when the door opened. My eyes darted over to it. In came Tulio, and surprisingly, with no scratches. And in his hands was Lilian. _Lilian! She's here early! I gotta get back, I gotta get back. _The last words repeated over and over, getting louder in my mind every time. I quickly climbed the pegs, almost falling several times and reached the hollow. I thought I was safe, then there was a soft wing beat and a soft thud behind me. I stood in the entrance, frozen in fear.

"Hey, Woll. Guess what's happening tomorrow?" I decided to play along, amazed she actually wanted to talk.

"First of all, it's Will. So what it it that you're so happy about?"

"Sounds like someone got out on the wrong side of the nest this morning."

"I don't see how, since I don't have a nest, or anything but the cold floor."

"I'm sorry. Really, I am. I should have thought about your well being instead of just mine, since I was taking you to a hollow you could stay in."

"It's okay. You were probably rushed. Anyway, what is it you are so happy about?"

"Well, I was just told some great news. I am...getting released! Tomorrow!"

"That's great. Good luck out there."

"Thanks." Before she left, she quickly came in with something in her talon. "Before I go, you forgot this." She rolled over one of the fruits, the one I was about to get before I ran. She then disappeared, probably back to her hollow. I laid down in my corner again and almost drifted to sleep, but then Lilian returned. "I also got you this. It was yours, even though you brought it in to my hollow, but you can have it back." She dropped the leaf into the hollow and left for the last time. I went over to the leaf and dragged it over to the corner, then pulled it over me like a blanket. _Thank you _was the last thought I had before drifting to sleep again.

* * *

**Another chapter completed! I hope you all enjoyed, and see you all next time :)**


	20. Last Day In The Aviary

**Another chapter up. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

The next morning, I woke up early to say my goodbyes Lilian. I quickly, but carefully, climbed down and started over to Lilian's hollow. Once I reached it, all was quiet. I climbed a quarter of the way up, expecting her to poke her head out and start yelling and insulting me in some way.

"Lilian!" I called up. "Are you in there?" I heard no reply. I climbed up a bit more, still treading carefully. "Come on, Lilian. I just wanted to come by before you left. Can you please answer me?" I climbed into her tree to find it empty, except for the nest in the middle. _Where could she be? _

"William!" a voice called out. As soon as I heard it, I knew who it was. _Great. Time to be studied. Again. _I poked my head to catch a glimpse of Tulio disappearing behind some of the trees, probably heading to mine. I made a loud squawk, which seemed to get his attention. "There you are! you're probably wondering where Lilian is." _You think?_ "She left early this morning. By now, she should be looking for her home in the jungle. And good news for you. You will be released as well."

"Yes!" I made a wing pump in the air at the good news.

"Tomorrow." My joy turned to hate as I glared at him.

"That is very rude, giving someone a false hope" I growled.

"I just need to make a few more tests today before you leave. Come on, time for your last test, and this will be different. Just a quick warning." He scooped me up before I could do anything and carried me to the examination room. He carefully set me down on the cold bench before going over to one of the sides. I could only just get a glimpse past him to see that he was sorting through cabinets and small containers. He stopped at one and pulled out something that made my heart skip a beat. In his hand, he held a long needle. As he started towards me, I started backing away from him. I almost fell off the bench when he caught me and put me in the middle again. "Calm down, William. It will only be a pinch."

"That doesn't look like 'just a pinch'." I watched as the needle closed in and squeezed my eyes shut. Yet, I felt nothing. Not even a pinch.

"There you go. That wasn't so bad, now was it." I felt myself tire and suddenly feel numb. What I didn't know was that in the needle was a serum that put me to sleep in seconds, and his real goal was to take blood with a bigger needle. I passed out before the needle reached me.

* * *

Once I had awoken, I found myself in my fake home. It also had a recently made nest in it. I could feel a small, numb pain where I guessed my blood had been taken from. I also felt a little woozy. _How much blood did he take? _I shrugged it off and went over to the small nest and sat down in it, making myself comfortable, but it was the same as the other nest. Rough and itchy. I began to crawl out of the nest, but ended up stumbling out, my face hitting the floor hard. I sat myself up, my vision swaying from left to right. I saw a hazy blue image in front of me, and it was hard to focus.

"Lilian?" I could only just hear my words, and noticed that my voice was slurred.

"No. Guess again." Although my hearing was also out of focus, I could only just recognize the voice. I stumbled towards Blu, tripping on my own talons. He caught me, but almost collapsed himself under my weight.

"Blu? W-what are y-you doin ere?" I slurred.

"Right..now? Holding you..up" he puffed. He pushed me off of him, and I landed in the nest behind me. "Besides that, I came to see how you are doing, and from what I can see, you're not doing so well."

"It w-was tat darn crazy d-d-doctor dude. W-what was is name?"

"Tulio, and try to speak a bit more clearer. I'm having a hard time understanding you right now."

"Sorrrry. He stuck s-some numbin serum in my butt!"

"Is that why you're acting all drunk like?"

"P-partly. He also took s-some of my b-b-blood."

"How much?"

"Not s-sure. But I feel allll dizzy and...tirrrrrrred." I fell back as I finished, and Blu caught me before I fell down hard.

"We need to get you some food and fluids into you, or this could get worse. Stay here while I get some things."

"Where else am I s-supposed to go?" I murmured. I laid on the floor, waiting and unable to move. My eyelids drooped and I had to stifled a few yawns. Blu returned with a couple of fruits and a cup with water.

"These fruits are high in sugar, and this cool water should help you get hydrated. You'll be back to your old self in not time."

"T-thanks."

"No need for thanks. Just helping out a friend, and believe me, you needed it. If it got any worse-"

"Don't s-say it. I would ave been f-fine."

"My eyes tell me otherwise. Just hurry up and start eating." I looked at the fruit, and another wave of dizziness came over me. Next thing I saw was the fruit squashed and splattered across the floor and my face. "Now look what you did!" he squawked. He hurried over and started to pull my face out of the now destroyed fruit. "I told you that you needed help. If I wasn't here, you could have choked on that."

"If you weren't ere, I w-wouldn't ave the fruit in the first p-place."

"That is true. Still, I've proven my point. Now I'm going to help you eat, or you'll end up the same color and taste the same as that fruit." He helped feed me whatever was left and drink the water carefully. Soon, my drowsiness got the better of me. Blu set me down in the nest, which I didn't notice as I was fast asleep. "Have a good sleep, Will. We'll see you tomorrow." Blu quietly flew out of the tree and headed for the door. Little did he know, a small set of bright, blue eyes were watching him from the vent.

"Yes, I've found him" the small figure murmured softly, but sharply. "I can't wait to tell him. He will be so pleased with me." The figure made a quiet insane laugh before crawling back up the vent.

* * *

**Another chapter completed. And some of you are probably wondering who that small figure is. You will find out a couple of chapters later. **

**A quick note in honor of those who were killed in the Sydney siege. You will be remembered by all. Rest In Peace.**

**See you in the next chapter :)**


	21. Release

**Another chapter up. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

I woke up to the sound of birds chirping and the calm wind blowing through the air and into the tree. I felt so calm, I thought I would fall asleep again. But then, I felt the itchiness of the nest, and I remembered where I was. I crawled out of the nest and started towards the exit. The light was blinding at first, then the fake trees and the walls at either side of the room came into focus. At the back of my mind, I had a thought about something, but couldn't put my feather on it. _What was it that was supposed to be happening today? _As I tried to think another blue bird came flying in. Blu soared over and perched himself next to me.

"You ready to go?" he asked.

"Go? Go where?"

"Don't you remember? You get to be released back out into the wild."

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot about that. When do we leave?"

"Once Tulio thinks it's time, he'll take you outside. That's when you can leave. Me and Rafael will be waiting outside for you." Blu lifted off from the branch and began flying towards the door. "We'll see you then!" he called back.

"I'll be waiting." To pass the time, I decided to go grab a bit of a snack. I climbed down and trudged through the fake bush towards where all the food was put in. On the tray, I found a couple of mangoes and some grapes. I took the grapes and popped a few into my beak. I held onto the rest and went for a little stroll around the chamber. The ambient noises in the background calmed me, and I felt my troubles all wash away. The cool air from the vents was refreshing. I was lost in the silence. That was until Tulio came in. As soon as he came in and saw me, he started doing his 'bird talk'. "Great. Just when I was having a good day." When he finished squawking at me, he kneeled down to me.

"Ready to go?"

"Um, yeah. I've been ready ever since I came" I replied, sounding a little irritated, but all he heard was a series of squawks.

"I'll take that as a yes." He extended his arm towards me, his palm flat against the ground. "Climb up, then." I climbed up his arm to his shoulder where I stayed as he walked me through the building to the exit. "You're really eager to get out, aren't ya?"

"Yep. I just want to get out of here...and away from you." Tulio smiled and reached his hand to beneath my beak. "Hey! What the-" I suddenly felt a pleasurable sensation under my beak as Tulio began to scratch under it. _Wow, that's good. Now I know how pets feel._ My leg couldn't resist shaking a bit like a dog having a belly scratch. Soon, however, he stopped.

"I thought you might like that."

"Why'd you stop? I was enjoying that."

"Do you want another scratch?" I nodded eagerly. "Maybe some other time. We're almost there." I looked ahead to see that the door was only several feet away. I spotted Blu and Rafael waiting outside. "Looks like they're waiting for you." Tulio pushed the door open and lowered me to the ground. "This is goodbye, little guy. Be safe. I hope to see you again."

"You know what? You aren't so bad as I first thought. I hope to see you too." Tulio closed the door behind me and started to walk away. I turned around to Rafael and Blu, who were flying over to me.

"You ready to go?"

"Do you really have to ask. Of course I'm ready!"

"Then prepare to feel the wind against your face, cause here..we..go!" Rafael cried out as they lifted me from the ground. Once in the air, I could tell that Rafael was having some trouble. "Have you..gained..weight?" he panted.

"No I have not! You're probably just not as fit as you used to be." Blu stifled a laugh, and Rafael frowned at both of us. "Where are we going anyway?"

"To the club. Nico and Pedro would want to know that you're back, plus they want you to meet someone" Blu explained.

"Who is this new friend?"

"You'll see soon enough, amigo" Rafael said.

* * *

It took about 10 minutes to reach the club, which looked very busy. There was a long line of birds, waiting to get inside.

"What's with the crowd? Something big happening?"

"Oh yeah. Really big. Carnival is in a couple of weeks, and that is when the club gets real busy. Some of them are just there to help make preparations such as decorating and costumes and practicing their singing and dancing. And also, birds from all over the world come to visit Rio at this time, so that also adds to the crowd."

"Carnival? Isn't that the biggest parade ever?"

"You got it! And for us birds, it's one of the best celebrations we have."

"Sounds exciting. How long is it till then?"

"About two weeks, give or take a day. You got any plans?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know. Are you going to the club, or are you going to see the parade, or are you going to do something else?"

"Well, you see, there's a problem with that. I don't know how to dance" I mumbled. I could tell that they hadn't heard me.

"What was that? Speak up."

"I said that I don't know how to dance" I mumbled again.

"You don't know how to what?"

"I said I don't know how to dance!" I looked down in shame.

"Hey, there's no reason to feel low about it. We can teach you."

"You can?"

"Of course we can. Nico and Pedro aren't only the best singers, but also great dancers, as are we."

"Well, not exactly all of us" Blu added. "All I really do, as Nico says, is 'mumble and shuffle'. That's basically all I do."

"Then we'll teach you some moves too." Rafael looked down, as did I. We started to descent towards the club. "We're almost there, amigos! Get ready to do some partying" he cheered. I also cheered as well, along with Blu. Though, there was a surprise waiting for me at the club. Something I wouldn't expect.

* * *

**And that's another chapter done. I hope you enjoyed and see you next chapter :)**


	22. More Lessons

**Hello again! I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)**

* * *

Rafael and Blu placed me behind the line, then landed on either side of me. Our view was blocked by the huge crowd in front of us.

"How do we get through this crowd?" I asked Rafael.

"Leave that to me." Rafael marched forward with me and Blu right behind him. "Excuse me! Coming through! Make way for Ralfi!" Rafael got us to the entrance without any trouble. We were treated like VIPs. Once inside, the club was filled with light and music. I was bewildered by how many birds had managed to fit inside. I caught a glimpse of Nico's bottle cap coming through the crowd towards us. No sooner, he emerged from the dance floor.

"Hey fellas! I see Will's back! Did you have fun?"

"Does it look like I had fun? It was so boring, except for this one other bird who was there."

"Was it a..girl?" Nico wiggled his eyebrows as he said 'girl'.

"Yes, it was. Her name was- Hey! It wasn't like that!"

"Sure it wasn't" Nico teased. "So, what's her name?"

"I'll tell you, as long as you promise not to think it was like that."

"What? I don't know what you're talking about."

"Then I won't tell you." Nico hesitated, then groaned.

"Fine, I promise."

"Good. Now, her name was-" I was once again interrupted by Pedro who came the same way as Nico.

"Hey, Willy! You came at the perfect time! There's someone we want you to meet!" Nico and Pedro left before I could tell them the name, then Rafael and Blu left me.

"Hey guys! Wait for me!" I pushed my way through to their table where Logan, Anita and a blue was sitting with what I guessed was a menu. I thought it was Jewel. But it was actually who they wanted me to meet. Logan saw me coming and nudged the blue bird who just ignored him.

"William, meet out friend." At the sound of my name, the blue bird lowered the menu, and I was overcome by surprise. "William, this is-"

"Lilian?"

"William? What a surprise to see you here!" She walked around and gave me a friendly hug. The others just stood there, dumbstruck.

"How do you two know each other?" Logan asked.

"She was the other bird in the aviary with me. We became friends there."

"Yes, a while after I found him in my tree." She gave me a dark look, and I made a nervous chuckle as I took a step away.

"So Lil is the girl you met?" Nico asked. "Well that was unexpected."

"I know. What are the chances of meeting her here?"

"Very low. Around 5000 to 1" Blu estimated.

"And there's the nerd bird we all know."

"Ha ha, very funny...chubby." Pedro was shocked by Blu's comeback, looking at his stomach.

"I'm not that fat. Am I?"

"Do you want us to lie or tell the truth?"

"The truth."

"You're only a little bit on the chubby side." Everyone else glared at Blu, but then Pedro surprised them all.

"I thought so. Guess I need to do a bit of working out."

"You're not hurt by the truth?"

"No! Of course not. He was being honest, and that is better than a lie. I already knew it anyway. I just wanted to know what he believed. And telling the truth is cool with me. As long as I know it too." Pedro turned to me after his little speech. "So are you here to help us prepare for Carnival?"

"Well actually, I'm-"

"He's here to take some lessons from us" Rafael interrupted.

"What kind of lessons?"

"A bit of dancing, maybe even some singing in there. Blu will be joining him as well."

"That's great news! The more there are, the more excitement there is."

"Yeah, and after there done, they can do a duo using the skills we've taught them."

"Yeah!" the others cheered, agreeing. But me and Blu didn't agree at all.

"Hold on just a minute! We agreed to being taught, not showing off the skills, and especially not on stage."

"What's the matter, Willy? You got a bit of stage fright?"

"W-well it's not t-that" I nervously stuttered. "It's j-just that I'm n-not good up on s-stages."

"So you have stage fright."

"No I don't!" Nico gave me an unconvinced look, so I gave up arguing. "Fine! I've got stage fright! Happy?"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Will. Everything is afraid of something. Did you know that the first time I went up on stage, I thought I was going to faint?" Nico said.

"Wait, you had stage fright?"

"Yeah, and it was bad! Luckily for me, Pedro was there to support me, as well as Rafael."

"Then who's going to support me?"

"Isn't it obvious. You're looking at them."

"That's great. I feel better already" I replied sarcastically.

"Really, because I don't" Blu whispered to me.

"It was sarcasm" I whispered back. "So when do we get started?"

"No time like the present."

"Fine, but this better not be anything like my flying lessons."

"Don't worry about it! You'll both be fine" Rafael assured. "Now, let's begin..."

* * *

**...In the next chapter. Also in the next chapter, I'm going to have Blu and William do a quick duo, but I don't have any idea for a song. If you readers do, I would be happy to hear suggestions. I hope you all enjoyed and I'll see you all in the next chapter :)**


	23. Show Off Your Skills

**The next chapter is here. I hope you enjoy and please leave some reviews :)**

* * *

By the end of the day, me and Blu were trying to keep ourselves up after a long day of hard work. But, surprisingly, the others hadn't even broken a sweat.

"T..ti..me out!" I heavily panted. "W..we n..need a br..eak over h..here." Me and Blu slumped against each other, barely standing.

"Oh come on, guys! You can't be tired already! It's only been three hours!" Rafael stated. We both looked up in surprise.

"B..but it's felt like h..hours! Can we j..just r..rest?" I complained.

"Are you kidding? We've only just begun, blue-boys" Nico said.

"W..what do you m..mean by just b..begun?"

"Exactly what it sounds like." At that moment, we both collapsed onto the ground. "Do you think we pushed them a little too far?"

"No worries! They're just exaggerating!" Rafael poked Blu, who didn't respond at all. "At least, I think they are."

* * *

Me and Blu woke up some time later, still backstage at the club. Rafael, along with Logan and Lilian, were sitting near us. Logan peeped past Rafael and noticed us waking. He whispered something to them, then they all got up from the small crate table and started over to us.

"Look who finally woke up" Logan began. "And just in time, too. Nico and Pedro have almost finished their performance, and the others are here as well."

"What do you mean 'just in time'? In time for what?" I asked.

"Why, your performance of course! It was part of the deal."

"I remember not agreeing to that" Blu countered. "Anyway, we both are...you know."

"Scared of being on stage, yeah we know."

"But either way, you have to!"Rafael added. "The others are expecting you to."

"Well, I guess we might be able to-"

"Good! We'll see out there. Come on, you two. Let them have some preparation time." We stood there for a few seconds, waiting for something to tell us we didn't have to, but nothing came.

"Looks like we're going to have to do it, Will."

"Yep. We're going to suck, aren't we?"

"Probably." We went over to the table and began thinking of what to do. "What song should we sing?"

"I have no idea. I don't listen to much music. You?"

"Sometimes, but I forget the lyrics from time to time." We sat in silence a while longer. I noticed that Pedro and Nico's song was coming to a close.

"We'd better hurry, because they are about to finish." Suddenly, an idea popped into my head. "I know how we can decide! Find something like paper and a pencil." Blu left in a hurry, then came back with some crumpled paper and a broken pencil.

"Is this good?"

"It's perfect!" I took the pencil and paper from him and tried my best to write. "Um, could you write for me?"

"Sure. What do you need me to right?"

"Just the songs that you know best. Then we'll write my songs, and see the common ones on both lists. Next, we pick from one of those. It's easy!"

"That actually is quite smart. I should have thought of that myself." Blu immediately put pencil to paper, scribbling his list. When he was done, I was amazed.

"That's very good writing that you have. Who taught you?"

"My owner. So, what songs do you want to put down?" I started saying the songs I knew best, and he listed them in sync. Once finished, we looked over the list. "Here's one! We Are The Champions."

"Nah. Not really the right kind of mood." We scanned over until we met another candidate. "What about Let's Get Ridiculous?"

"Never really was much of a fan for it. Besides, that one doesn't seem like the right mood either." I sighed and continued looking over it. Both pairs of eyes stopped on one, close to the end. "What about this one?"

"We could do that one. You know it well?"

"Listened to it not too long ago. And it's easy to remember."

"Perfect! Than this is the one. Let's get ready."

* * *

**Rafael's POV**

* * *

As soon as we got out, the club masters were just finishing their song. I settled down next to Eva who I found to the side, along with Jewel, Bou, Lou and Anita.

"Got any idea of what they will be performing?" Jewel asked.

"None. They actually were very panicked back there. I'm not sure they will do it."

"Oh, I hope Blu's okay. He might get too nervous."

"I'm sure he'll be fine. Besides, he's not alone."

"Rafael's right" Bou added. "He's got someone else just as nervous, so it will be double panic." I saw Jewel become more worried, so shot a look at Bou. "What? It's true." Lou elbowed him hard in the stomach, and he groaned in response.

"Shh! They're about to come on." The crowd was in an uproar for the two samba masters. Nico and Pedro took a bow before signalling the crowd to be quiet.

"Thank you, Rio! I'm glad you enjoyed our little performance today." Nico started. A little cheer came from the crowd, and Nico once again signaled for silence.

"And thanks from me as well! You were a great audience, but it ain't over yet!" Pedro continued.

"Right, P! We've got one more performance coming up!"

"It's gonna be a quick duo by two of our buddies. The first, you all know! His name sounds like his color, but minus a letter! You know who I mean! I mean...Blu!" The crowd cheered more.

"And the next one is a new guy around these parts! So how about we give some of our hospitality!"

"Yeah!" the crowd answered back.

"I thought that would be your answer! Give it up for...William!" The crowd went into an uproar, but quickly went into silence as the lights dimmed. From the darkness above, a single spotlight shined onto the stage, and revealed the two blue macaws. They were standing there, frozen in fear.

"Come on guys, you can do it" I whispered. As if they heard me, they seemed to relax. They signaled to Nico and Pedro, then a beat started. The beat started to escalate. That was then Blu started singing.

**Blu: **Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

Next, William started.

**William: **But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

Said, no more counting dollars

We'll be counting stars, yeah we'll be counting stars

The music escalated, and the beat became more intense. They both started small movements on the stage.

**Blu:** I see this life like a swinging vine

Swing my heart across the line

And my face is flashing signs

Seek it out and you shall find

**William:**Old, but I'm not that old

Young, but I'm not that bold

I don't think the world is sold

I'm just doing what we're told

**Blu:**I feel something so right

Doing the wrong thing

I feel something so wrong

Doing the right thing

I couldn't lie, couldn't I, couldn't lie

**Blu,William:** Everything that kills me makes me feel alive

The crowd started clapping to the beat, and Blu and William went into a full dance with the beat.

**Blu,William:**Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

Said, no more counting dollars

We'll be counting stars

**Blu, William: **Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

Said, no more counting dollars

We'll be, we'll be counting stars

The singing pauses, ending the chorus as the beat continues.

"I've gotta say, they're pretty good!" I mentioned to the others over the sound.

**Blu:** I feel the love and I feel it burn

Down this river, every turn

Hope is a four-letter word

Make that money, watch it burn

**William: **Old, but I'm not that old

Young, but I'm not that bold

I don't think the world is sold

I'm just doing what we're told

**Blu: **I feel something so wrong

Doing the right thing

I couldn't lie, couldn't lie, couldn't lie

Everything that drowns me makes me wanna fly

**Blu,William: **Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

Said, no more counting dollars

We'll be counting stars

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

Said, no more counting dollars

We'll be, we'll be counting stars

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

The music starts to die down, and go lower.

**Blu, William:** Everything that kills me...makes feel alive

The music burst up, and the crowd's clapping escalated. I joined in, tapping my feet to the rhythm.

**Blu, William:** Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

Said, no more counting dollars

We'll be counting stars

Lately, I've been, I've been losing sleep

Dreaming about the things that we could be

But baby, I've been, I've been praying hard,

Said, no more counting dollars

We'll be, we'll be, counting stars

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

Take that money

Watch it burn

Sink in the river

The lessons are learned

The music suddenly stops and the spotlight goes out. The crowd were silent for a few seconds, then burst into a series of claps and cheers. The lights came on, showing that Blu and William were bowing. They looked very proud.

"That's my boys."

* * *

**And that's the end of another chapter. Sorry it's been so long, but with Christmas coming up, it's been very busy. I hoped to finish this story before the end of the year, but that seems highly unlikely. And I thank Andres3es for his suggestions. I hope you enjoyed, Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year to all! :)**


	24. Let's Parrrteeey!

**Here's the next chapter. I hope you enjoy and please review :)**

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

Me and Blu took another bow before leaving to backstage, still hearing the large applause. We found Nico and Pedro waiting for us. I can still remember the looks on their faces. They had faces filled with surprise and awe. Nico was the first to speak, breaking the silence.

"That...was...awesome! You guys were the bomb out there!"

"Yeah! That was absolutely poppin! And you said you were too scared to go out there."

"I never said I was that scared. And we weren't that great."

"Is that what you think? Because what I hear now is the chanting of your names. You two are new stars!"

"Of course, not as good as us" Pedro added.

"You're right about that, Pedro. We probably won't ever be as good as you" I remarked. They both smirked at my comment. Behind them, Rafael and the others came rushing in. Blu was almost bowled over by Jewel and his kids, being smothered by hugs and kisses. I chuckled at the sight of it. Rafael came up to me with a great, big smile.

"That was great, William! You're a natural!"

"Yeah! You were great!" Eva added. I could feel my face grow a little hot.

"Please, stop with the compliments."

"Why? Are we embarrassing you?" Lilian teased in a babyish voice. I shot her a cold glare. She returned it with a playful look.

"Leave him alone, Lil" Bou said. "Or he might have a nervous break down." I ignored his comment, even though it did hurt a bit on the inside.

"Just leave him alone, Bou!" Lou demanded. "Why do you have to be so mean to everyone?"

"Excuse us for a moment." Bou turned and pulled her sister over to the corner, where they started arguing. Rafael shook his head at them.

"Those two change their moods about each other as quickly as my kids."

"What's with Bou, anyway?"

"Don't worry about him! Today is about you and Blu, celebrating your new accomplishment!"

"It wasn't that much of an accomplishment. Really, there is no need" Blu insisted. But Rafael pushed on.

"Sure we do! Besides, there's nothing else to do. Unless you want to help prepare for Carnival."

"That's a good idea."

"Are you sure? It means lots of work."

"Then, on second thought, maybe a bit of partying won't hurt."

"Yeah! Let's parrrrteeey!" Pedro screamed at the top of his lungs. We all went out into the crowd, and then we split into our own little groups. I went over to a little corner, since I didn't feel much like partying, and sat down. Everyone else was either dancing or talking. In my corner, I was alone. I didn't remember much after, probably because I must have fallen asleep.

* * *

**Rafael's POV**

* * *

While I was partying, I spotted William at a table, face down. Me and Eva went over to him and found he was asleep.

"Poor guy. He must be exhausted."

"I don't exhaust others that much."

"It was probably all the singing, dear. I'm sure you didn't tire him out." We looked back at him. He was completely passed out. "We should take him home. He needs some rest."

"You're right. But what about the guys?" Eva frowned at me after I mentioned them. "Okay, I'll tell them that we're leaving. I'll meet you outside, okay?"

"You better." Eva gripped one of William's talons with her own and slowly lifted him into the air and started hovering over to the exit. No sooner did Nico and Pedro appear behind me.

"Hey, Ralfi. Where's the missus goin?"

"We have to take William home. He's very tired."

"It wasn't all the practice, was it?" Nico asked, looking as if he felt a bit sorry.

"No, it wasn't our fault. He'll be fine. He just needs some good rest, then he'll be back on his feet."

"I hope so. We don't want him to miss out on this party."

"I think he might have to." I turned and started to leave, waving back at them. "I'll see you guys later!"

"The same to you, Ralfi!" Their voices faded as I flew away to join Eva.

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

Once I had woken up again, I found myself in a place very familiar. I was in what looked my room. In my house, back home. I was laying in my bed, wearing my black pyjamas. _What's going on here? Was it all a dream? _I heard someone coming, then someone came through the door. Someone who I hadn't seen in a while.

"Emma?"

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter was a bit short. I didn't have much time to work on it. Merry Christmas to all you guys, and A Happy New Year! :)**


	25. Old Memories

**Hello again! I hope you enjoy this next chapter :)**

* * *

"Emma?" I exclaimed out of surprise. I felt like I was dreaming.

"Who else would it be, sleepyhead." She started to head out, though stopped when she noticed I was still staring. "Come on, then. Get out of bed and get dressed. Breakfast is ready, and it isn't as patient as I am." She left before I could say anything else. All I could think about right now was her. She looked just like how she did before...before I left. Then it came to me. I was in a memory, but it wasn't how I remembered it. _This must be the same memory, except that I can interact, instead of just watching._ My thoughts trailed back to Emma. Her short, straight hair was just as golden brown as before, and her light, fair skin was the same as well. She wore the same clothing, as well. A red top and brown jeans, her usual style. But she looked a bit more formal then she usually does. I noticed that when I saw that she had a bit of eye shadow and lipstick on. _Just how I remember. _I got out of my bed and headed for my wardrobe. I picked a green t-shirt and some grey shorts and changed into them. Once I finished, I left the bedroom and walked down the hall towards the dining room, where Emma was serving breakfast.

"Good morning, honey" she greeted. "I made your favorite." She set a plate down on the table. I looked it over. It had hash browns and bacon, with a side of toast.

"Thank you" I returned. I continued to stare down at the food in front of me. For some reason, I didn't have an appetite for this. Emma must have noticed it, as she was giving me a worried look.

"Is something wrong, Will?"

"Pardon?" Seeing her face, I quickly came up with a response. "Oh, no, it's nothing. There's no need to worry." I started slowly eating to convince her, but it had no effect. She crossed her arms, looking across the table at me.

"You can't fool me, William. Something's up. Is it the food?"

"No! It's not the food. It's perfect." I could still see her eyes studying me closely. "Honey, it's nothing. I'm fine, really."

"Then why am I finding it hard to believe." She seemed to pause, probably still thinking why. "It's the trip, isn't it? You're worried about going to Brazil, aren't you?"

"The trip? No, I'm not worried about the trip."

"I know how much you want to go. I know how much this job means to you." She let a small smile loose on her face. "I remember when you got the call. How excited you were. You always wanted to be a photographer, ever since I met you. You were always so fascinated with nature." I also remembered when I got the call. I was jumping around, cheering out of joy. There was only one regret I had now. I reached across and held Emma's hands.

"Emma, no matter what happens, I will always-"

"Why did you have to go?" The question struck with me surprise. Her happiness was now replaced with fear, sadness and anger. "Why did you leave me?" The room grew darker, and I felt something changing inside me. I looked at my hands. They were changing color and shape. I felt pain as I changed. I watched as Emma started fade.

"Emma!" I reached out, but something pulled me back. I watched in horror as my arm started to sprout feathers. My fingers became more bony and long, and slowly changed position. My feet started to curl, my nails growing over my toes. My mouth began to be replaced by a black beak. I felt myself shrinking down, Emma looking down at me.

"Why did you have to leave me?" Her voice echoed through my head.

"I'm right here! Don't leave meeee!" Soon, she faded into the darkness that encircled me. I felt myself falling, being sucked into the void. "NNNNOOOOOOO!" was the last sound I screamed before it all ended.

* * *

I didn't know how long I was left in the darkness, but if felt like a lifetime. A lifetime that was taken from me. But then, something echoed through the darkness.

"Wake up!" it yelled. It sounded familiar, but I didn't know who it belonged to.

"William!" another yelled. "Wake up!" My instincts kicked in, and I managed to see a faint light. I started to drift towrds it, being pulled by an invisible force.

"Wake upppp!" The voice called out before I was engulfed by the light.

* * *

As soon as I came back, I slowly began to wake up. I started by moving my limbs. Then, I took some small breaths before slowly opening my eyes. Through my eyelids, I could see two figures standing over me. A bright light dazed my eyes. I blinked it out, and my focus slowly came back yo me. The two figures became more clearer. I saw that they were Rafael and Eva.

"Finally! Do you know how long you were out?" Rafael asked.

"Um...a couple of hours?"

"A couple of hours? More like a couple of days." _A couple of days? That can't be right. _

"Are you sure? Because it felt like only a couple of hours." Eva slid a bowl of water over to my side, and Rafael placed a mango on the other.

"You'll need some energy. Eat and drink up. We're going out today."

"Again? Where to this time?"

"Linda's bookstore. Blu wants to show you something." _What does he want to show me? _I thought about it for a time, then shrugged it off and started to chow down.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed. This chapter would have been up earlier, but I went to see the last part of The Hobbit. It was great. See you next chapter :)**


	26. The Coming Storm

**Here's another chapter. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

The evening wind felt cold against me. Rafael held me close to him, but it didn't help much. Before we left, he said that Blu had found something on my owner. What they didn't know was that I was that man. It had been almost a month since I had been changed.

"We're almost there, Will! Just a few more minutes!"

"That's what you said five minutes ago. Are you sure we aren't lost?"

"I'm absolutely sure" he answered, sounding very unsure.

"Don't lie to yourself. How sure are you?"

"About 75% sure." I shot him a doubting look. "Maybe 50%." I let out a groan of frustration. We were lost.

"Just great! I thought you knew about everything around here."

"I'm sorry, but I'm an old bird, and old birds tend to forget."

"Then I hope I never get that old." I remarked. Rafael replied with a whack on my head using his large beak. "OWW! What was that for?!"

"For insulting me! There's nothing wrong with being old!"

"Sorry." We were flying for another few minutes when I felt something wet drop in my eye. "Aah! Did you just spit in my eye?!"

"What? Why would I do that? That's just gross."

"Then what was..." I flinched when another drop hit my face, then another, then another. I could see that Rafael was getting the same. That was when we realized what was happening.

"It's raining! We need to get to cover!"

"You're the one flying!" Rafael tried his best to avoid the rain, but it was no use, especially since we were so high up. A huge gust of wind suddenly hit us from the side, throwing us out of the air. Rafael held onto me tight, but it was not enough. I soon slipped out from his talons and was tossed towards the city below. I thought it was the end. That was before Rafael dived and caught me in mid air. I was left with my back to the ground below.

"What did I tell you, Will? Be careful!" I didn't listen to him, since I was freaking out. We were still quite high up, and another fall could be my last. "I'm going to lower us down! That should keep us safe from all this wind!"

"Safe?! How about we just land somewhere?!"

"Nowhere safe to land! It's just as dangerous down there as it is up here! You know, with stray cats!" We were soon just above the tin roofs of the homes below. Rafael had a hard time dodging poles and walls with the wind tossing us around. "There!" Rafael moved his head as if to point towards somewhere safe. I followed his gaze and saw it as well. It was a small shack on top of another building. It had a small shelter on the side, most likely made by the owner for birds. We were about to reach it, then Rafael squawked in pain. I looked up, and just caught a glimpse of something hit him in the back, before falling below us. Rafael struggled to stay up, but we ended up falling down towards an alley. I fell from his talons before hitting a trash can hard head first, then rolling across the ground. My body was filled with pain. I could barely open one of my eyes. Opening the other one, I managed to see Rafael laying across from me. He laid motionless. I believed the worst, then I saw his chest rise, but only barely.

"R..R..Ra..Raf..." I passed out before I could call out his name. The last I heard was a pair of maniacal laughs.

* * *

**Blu's POV**

* * *

"Blu, please stop worrying, or otherwise I'm going to be worrying" Jewel requested. I ignored her and continued to pace around in circles.

"I can't. Something bad has happened, and I can't stop thinking that it's my fault." Jewel reached out and grabbed me, holding me in position.

"This is not your fault" she insisted.

"Mom's right" Bia chimed in. "You couldn't have possibly expected this storm to come. All the forecasts said the skies would be lightly cloudy. Something in the weather must have changed. The amount of hydration may have increased in the atmosphere, and combined with other atmospheric conditions, the sudden storm could have occurred."

"Yeah. What she said" Tiago added.

"Nothing is your fault, dad. You couldn't have expected this" Carla said. Seeing my family stick up for me made me feel like the luckiest bird alive.

"Thanks. You're all right. But we can't leave them out there. We need to find them."

"How are we going to do that? We can't fly in this weather."

"You're right about that. I guess we'll just have to wait, and hope for the best. Once it dies down a little, we'll go find them, but the kids are staying here." I heard a chorus of 'Awws' from the children. Me and Jewel frowned at them, which set them straight. "We'll wait another ten minutes, and if it doesn't get better, we may have to find another way."

* * *

Luckily for us, it died down to a small shower in five minutes.

"Quick, Jewel, before it gets worse again." Jewel was talking to the kids when I called to her.

"I'm coming!" Another minute later, she was at my side.

"Are you ready?"

"Let's go find them." I took off first, and Jewel followed close behind. The wind was still rough, but not too rough to knock us from the sky. "Where should we start first?"

"First, we should get help. I'll head to Bou and Lou's home while you go to the club. After, go find Logan and Anita, then we'll all meet up at the Christ The Redeemer. Sound good?"

"Couldn't have said it better myself."

* * *

**Almost at the end. I bet you can guess who was laughing. Next chapter may be tomorrow. Until then, goodbye! :)**


	27. The Search Begins

**Hello readers! I hope you enjoy this next chapter where the villain will be revealed! (Maybe). And please, more reviews! :)**

* * *

I spotted the market where the club was only a minute away. The wind had become slightly more fierce, enough to slow me down. I touched down half a minute away to avoid crashing into the club. Once inside, I found lots of wet and frightened birds. I guessed that they must have sought refuge from the storm. There were no lights, showing that the power was off. The club was full of hushed and loud voices. In the mix, I heard Pedro's voice. It came from towards the back. I had to push through the crowd to reach them. With them was Anita and Logan.

"Hey Blu. You got caught by the storm too?" Logan asked.

"No, but I believe that Rafael and William have."

"They wouldn't be stupid enough to go through this storm" Nico said.

"That's the thing. They were supposed to come by to the library, but that should have been an hour ago. They may have left before the storm, then got caught in it" I explained. "We need your help to find him."

"We? All I see is you."

"Jewel went to get some others. Come on, he's your friend too."

"No need to bring that up. We were going to anyway. Lead the way, Blu."

* * *

Once we arrived at the Christ The Redeemer statue, we found Jewel there, with Lou and Eva.

"Where's Bou?"

"Sitting in a corner, sulking" Lou answered grudgingly. "All he cares about is himself."

"Where do we start searching?" Nico asked.

"We'll split into three groups. Me, Jewel and Lou will search around the bookstore. You and Pedro search the market and around it. Eva, Logan and Anita will search around the aviary. Sound like a plan?"

"A plan by you is always a good plan" Jewel commented, nuzzling up to me.

"Thank you, but now is not the time. Our friends are in danger. Now let's go save them."

"YEAH!" We cheered before splitting up.

* * *

The weather had cleared up, so the flight to the bookstore didn't take long. Once there, I began drawing a map of the search area, with a diameter of one kilometer. We divided it up into thirds and picked one each. I took the northern section, which the route they would have traveled went through. I was calling out to them as I flew by.

"Rafael! William! Where are you guys?!" I must have spent over half an hour calling for them, since the sun was high in the sky, indicating it was midday. _It's almost time to meet back at the book store. I should start heading back. _It wasn't long before I reached the book store, but surprisingly, only Jewel was there. "Where's Lou?"

"She must be coming back soon. Did you have any luck?"

"No. We need to go back out there."

"First, we need to get ourselves some energy." After eating, we prepared to leave again.

"Lou still hasn't returned. Something doesn't feel right."

"I'm sure she's fine. She might have just lost track of time. We'll look for her later. Right now, we need to keep searching for Rafael and William."

"Right. First them, then Lou. I think we should stick together this time, just in case."

"Fine then. Lead the way."

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

I woke up, feeling an aching pain throughout my body. I was surprised and afraid of what I found myself in. At first it was dark and cold, but as my vision focused, I could jut see the outline of several thick poles. When I looked around me, I found I was surrounded. I tapped one of them, making a 'clang' sound. Above me was a roof connecting to all the poles. That was when I realized it. I was in a cage. I could hear faint breathing, meaning someone was nearby.

"Is someone there?" I cautiously called out. No one responded, but there was a groan. "Hello?"

"Will? Is that you?" I knew the voice right away.

"Rafael? Are you okay?" I asked.

"Besides a bit of pain, I'm fine. I think I might have a bump on my head. Where are we?"

"I'm in a cage. How about you?" I waited for a response, then I heard the tap of metal.

"Yep. Looks like we're stuck in here. Do you know how we could have gotten here?"

"No idea." I thought about the others. What they would be doing right now. If they even knew we were gone. Were they searching for us? It was unlikely that they were. "Hey, Rafael."

"Yeah, Will" he replied.

"Do you think the others are looking for us?"

"I'm sure of it. I bet you they are out there right now, looking for us. Are you worried about them?"

"Yes. I'm very worried, for both us and them. I'm also worried about a many other things."

"Like what?"

"I-it's personal. I can't talk about it."

"Well, we probably aren't going to get out of here, so you might as well."

"If that's what you think, then here it goes. I..I..I'm a-" I was interrupted by the door opening. Light poured into the darkness, and two figures came in. The light also showed stacks of other cages, most of them with other birds. Some of them cowered in fear, while the others were asleep. One looked like a large Military macaw. It was dragging the other figure by one of it's wings. The macaw pulled the other figure to one of the other cages and threw it in there before leaving. The cage was in a little part of light, so the figure was still visible. It looked familiar. "Rafael, do you recognize that bird in there?" Rafael looked closely.

"I think it's...Lou?"

"R-Rafael? Is that y-you?" she groaned.

"Yes! How did you get here?"

"I-I-I don't know. We were searching for you, b-but then something hit me in the back of my head. I'm scared, Rafael! Are we ever going to escape, Rafael?" Her voice sounded so sad. Rafael didn't answer. Only sighed.

"Truthfully...I don't know. I'm sorry, Lou." I could hear Lou start crying.

"Lou..." I started. "I promise you, we will find a way out of this. I swear it." Her crying seemed to go softer. Silence came soon, only to be broken by the door creaking open. All the birds cowered once more. I soon saw why. A plump, white bird strutted in, a bone in one talon.

"Hello, pretty birds."

* * *

**And there you have it. You probably know who it is now. I hope you enjoyed. See you in the next chapter :)**


	28. Captured

**Here's another chapter. I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

**Blu's POV**

* * *

Me and Jewel had been flying around for over several hours. It was becoming dark.

"We should head back" Jewel suggested. "There's nothing more we can do." She was right. We had found no trace of Rafael or William, and now Lou was missing as well. _She's right. We have to go back. _

"Alright. I just hope they are okay."

"I'm sure they are. Let's go and meet up with the others."

"Agreed." We started to head back to the bookstore, but I had a bad feeling. On the way, I thought I heard something behind us. I halted and hovered in the air, looking back, finding nothing. I heard Jewel come back and stop next to me.

"What is it honey?" I didn't reply. Instead, I flew down towards an alley where a blue feather was. Close by were more blue feathers, along with some black feathers.

"Jewel...I think we found where they disappeared." Awkwardly, I didn't hear her behind me. I turned around to see that she had disappeared. "Jewel? Where are you?" I started to walk back, when I heard what sounded like someone trying to talk. I followed it to it's source to find Jewel, tied up and muffled. I ran over to her and removed the cloth other her beak. "Jewel, what-"

"Look out!" I spun around to meet a large Military macaw.

"Hello, little birdie." One punch was all it took.

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

It felt like hours. The room seemed to get darker and darker by the minute. In the time we had been waiting, others had been brought in. First was Lou, then Logan and Anita, and lastly, Nico and Pedro. They had told me that Eva had escaped, but only with their distraction. Rafael was glad to hear this news, knowing she was safe. All that was left was Blu and Jewel.

"Do you think they'll be okay?" Lou asked Nico.

"I'm sure they'll be fine" he answered. The door suddenly opened, and the Military macaw appeared again, this time with two birds. I was shocked when I saw who they were.

"_Deixe-me ir, seu bastardo!" _Jewel screeched angrily.**(Let me go, you bastard!) **She kicked the macaw in the head. She went to kick again, but he caught it in his beak and clamped down. Jewel yelped in pain, her head falling over his shoulder. He tossed Blu and Jewel into the cage then left. Jewel held onto her leg, crying softly, but looking angry. Meanwhile, Blu looked unconscious.

"Jewel?" She looked up at me, her eyes filled with pain.

"What is it, William?" she growled.

"What happened?"

"What's it look like? We got caught. He ambushed us, and knocked Blu out cold."

"Are your kids safe?" I heard Jewel gasp in fear.

"The kids! We have to save the kids!" She charged the side of the cage over and over again.

"It's no use!" a rasp, male voice yelled. "They are tougher than you think." We all looked over to the dark corner. Inside the cage, there was an old Green-Winged macaw. His feathers looked rough, and the skin around his eyes were stretched and wrinkled. He was sitting in the back corner of his cage, his eyes empty of hope.

"Who are you to tell us to stop? We have a thing called hope."

"I'm the bird who is wiser than all of you, who believe that this is all a fairy tale. Well guess what? This is real life! And in real life, there aren't any happy endings."

"What would you know?"

"You remember that psycho before?" I nodded slowly. "That evil creature..." he began, his voice going lower, filled with sorrow. "He...he...killed my...family." I could swear I saw a tear on his stone-hard face.

"I-I'm so sorry, we didn't-"

"Of course you didn't know! No one ever knows! That's when I gave up on trying to see the good side of life! This is my fate now! And it's yours as well, so shut up and deal with it!" He sat there panting, his eyes filled with rage. I sat back against the cage bars. It felt as if all the hope I had drained out. He was right. There was no getting out. Whatever fate awaited us, we could only wait for it to arrive.

* * *

Later on, the white bird came in again. He went over to Jewel and Blu's cage. Blu was resting next to Jewel, who was comforting him, when the white bird jumped on top of the cage.

"Good evening, pretty birds."

"Nigel" Jewel hissed. "You have some nerve showing your ugly face to me, especially this close."

"I have nothing to fear, since you are in there, and I am out here. You can't touch me."

"She better not touch you, my love." A small pink and black frog hopped next to Nigel, hugging his leg.

"Gabi, please get off" he groaned.

"No, my love. I'm not letting you go!"

"Why me" Nigel sighed. "Brutus! Come here! Now!"

"Right away, boss!" The military macaw came trudging in. As soon as he saw the situation, he went straight over to the frog. He grabbed her with a talon, being careful with her.

"LET ME GO! NIGEL! COME BACK MY LOVE!"

"Finally. Now, where were we...ah, yes" he said, looking down with evil eyes. Jewel backed away in fear. He followed her along the top of the cage to the back, where he reached down and grabbed her throat. "Now, I would be beating your love there, but he's already out, so I guess I'll just have to make do...with you!" Nigel laughed maniacally. He began to pull her from the cage, kicking and screaming for help. I couldn't just sit back and watch. I did the only thing I could do.

"Hey ugly!" Nigel froze, then slowly turned his head.

"Who dares to insult me?!"

"I did, chubby!" Nigel ran straight for my cage. But when he slammed against it, I stood my ground.

"My, you are a brave one to stand up against me. Maybe I should teach you a lesson." In a second, I was on the ground. I struggled to get up. A pair of talons appeared beside me and before I could react, Brutus held me up towards Nigel. "Let's begin with lesson one."

* * *

**Sorry if it was shorter than expected. I hope you enjoyed :)**


	29. Smuggled

**Another chapter is here. Hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

Brutus dragged me back my cage. I was bruised all over from Nigel's brutal attacks. Brutus harshly pushed me through the cage door. I landed hard on the flooring of the cage. He closed it behind me, muttering something under his breath. I rolled in pain, groaning in agony.

"William?" I struggled to look up to Rafael. "Are you okay?"

"Besides a little bruising, I'm fine" I coughed.

"You don't sound okay" Nico piped in.

"Trust me, I'm fine. Stop worrying, you guys." Getting over the pain, I rolled over and slowly went to sleep.

* * *

I was awoken by my cage rumbling and rocking from side to side. I looked outside of my cage to see that all the others were moving around as well. I noticed that we were no longer in the dark room, but the back of a truck. Next to me was Rafael's cage, and on the other side was Blu and Jewel's.

"Rafael? Are you awake?" Rafael lifted his head and faced me.

"I am now. What is it?"

"Where are we going?"

"The same place all birds like us go" the Green-Wing said. "To a new life."

"We don't want a new life!" one bird cried.

"Stop your whining and get over it! It's going to happen whether you want it to or not!" I decided to ignore the old macaw's insults and go back to my question.

"As I was saying before, where are we going?"

"An airport, where they will send us out of the country and be sold. What happens next is, well, whatever your new owner decides."

"So this is the last time we see each other?"

"I'm afraid so. I'll never see my family again. And I never got to say bye." Rafael's head hung low. His sad eyes closed, tears seeping through the small gap. I knew how he felt. I had been feeling the same way ever since the beginning. _I wish I'd said bye. Now here I am, stuck as a bird, about to be smuggled and then live a short, miserable life. _Suddenly, the truck stopped. I was sent flying to the other end of the cage, hitting it hard. The back of the truck opened up, and two men came in and started taking the cages out. For some reason, they looked somewhat familiar. Then I remembered when I saw the TV back at my hotel. It was showing the news about three men that had escaped jail. They were two of them. But where was the third? One of the men grabbed my cage and carried it out. Once outside, I saw the third man. And on his shoulder was Nigel.

"Good work, Nigel. Not only did you find those two blue macaws, but you also found a third. We're going to make a fortune." Nigel looked over me and grinned. I scowled back at him as I was carried past him and onto a small cargo plane. Next to me was the Green-Wing.

"Great. Out of all the birds here, I get to be next to you."

"How do you think I feel."

"I have just one favor to ask you. Stay quiet and we'll all be good."

"I am not going to listen to someone like you."

"Then we are agreed. You stay quiet, and I'll stay quiet. Understood?"

"Yes" he grumbled.

"Good." Soon, the plane hatch closed, and the darkness of the night sky crept through the windows. Only the moonlight shined through some of the windows, showing all the sad faces. Below me was Lou, and on my other side was Rafael. Above me was Nico and Pedro and across was Blu and Jewel. The cockpit door opened, and Nigel, along with his two minions, came walking in.

"It is a beautiful night, right? A perfect night for all of you to enjoy. You should rejoice!"

"Why should we do that?" one of the other birds called out.

"Because now you can go and live a new life. Have a new beginning."

"And become like you."

"And what am I to you?"

"A crazy, featherless freak." Nigel pounced towards the birds cage and grabbed the bird by the throat.

"I'd take those words back, or you will end up like me as I pluck your feathers, one...by...one." He plucked the birds feathers as he threatened. I cringed as the bird grunted in pain. Each feather floated down to the floor. But after a few, he finished and hopped back down. "Now please remain seated, for our flight shall begin soon." He started back towards the cabin, his minions following. "You two stay here and keep a watch on things. If anything happens, call out for me." Once he was gone, the plane started to lurch upwards. _It's going to be a long flight_ I thought.

* * *

**Sorry if this chapter is a little short. It's coming towards the end, and I'm not so good with endings. See you in the final chapter...next time! :)**


	30. The End

**This is it. The final chapter, where this story will end. I hope you enjoy, and please review :)**

* * *

**Rafael's POV**

* * *

The plane rumbled through the air. It felt like it would fall apart at any second. The steel frame creaked until the weight of all the cages. Through the window, you could see the sun peaking over the horizon. All the faces in the cages were filled with sadness and fear. The families and friends together were huddling, whispering words of comfort to the children with them and each other. That made me feel sad, for my family was far from my reach, probably worried sick about me. They would be crying for their father who was too far, and may not return. No matter how much I wanted to see them, it would be impossible. I was stuck in here, and they were out there. Looking next to me, I saw William in his cage. It looked like he was focusing on something. I wanted to ask, but I decided against it, since it may be a memory. I did not want to disturb him. He had been silent ever since the plane started, as if he was frozen to the spot. I could hear Nico's whistling from above William. The song sounded so sad. The Military macaw, Brutus, soared over to his cage and slammed his wing hard into it.

"Quiet in there!" Brutus ordered. "The boss will have none of that!" Nico shuddered in fear and backed away to the back of the cage obediently. Brutus went back over to the cabin door with the frog, Gabi. Across from my cage, Jewel peacefully slept against Blu's chest, who had woken up not too long ago. Below William, Lou cradled herself, silently crying to herself. I turned to face the window. The clouds had an orange and red tint around them. I longed to watch the sunrise by the cliff, my wife sitting next to me. We would then begin the new day with the tradition throughout the forest, which was a song. The song played through my head, over and over. But the silence was broken when that maniac cockatoo burst through the door.

"Good morning, pretty birds! I hope you've enjoyed the flight so far. Is everyone comfortable?" Some of them grumbled, while others remained silent. "I can't hear you."

"Just shut it!" The old Green-Wing yelled at Nigel. His eyes were wide, yet sharp like daggers aimed for the crazy bird.

"You dare to challenge me!" Nigel took a menacing step towards the old bird. Soon, he would be upon him. Before he reached the cage, someone else spoke up.

"Leave the old bird alone. He's suffered enough." My eyes darted to where the voice came from, and I was filled with surprise. William, who had been silent for so long, was speaking directly to the menace.

"I'll say when someone has suffered enough. So I would keep your beak shut, unless you want to be next" Nigel snapped.

"Go ahead. You've already beaten me once. I don't see what else you can do." Nigel seemed to admire William's courage, which I saw as stupidity. With a click of his talons, William was thrown out by Brutus and pinned to the ground. Nigel dragged his claws along the steel floor, making a piercing, screeching sound. He admired his claws before planting them on his neck. Brutus backed off him, awaiting the next order.

"I admire your courage, but now you shall regret those words." In a second, William was tossed to the other side, slamming into one of the other cages. He grunted in pain, then chuckled at Nigel's attempt to injure him.

"Is that your best?" Nigel let out an enraged screech and ran straight into him, head first. William crashed to the floor, holding his chest. He struggled to breath, yet continued to laugh. "I thought you were tough." Nigel continued to strike and throw William around, over and over until he found himself tired out. He stumbled back, panting.

"You were lucky this time." Brutus moved towards William, but Nigel signaled against it. "Leave him. I might want to enjoy myself some more later." Brutus obeyed and went back to his position near the door. William was left close to Lou's cage, bruises covering every bit of his body. He could hardly breath nor move. I noticed something white in his talon. It got my attention, and then I saw what it was. One of the bones that once was part of Nigel's food. But what was he doing with it. I saw William whisper something to Lou before handing her the bone. Then he proceeded to attract Nigel's sidekick's attention.

"Hey, you two numskulls! Don't you want to have a piece of this?" They took the insult hard and approached, looking ready to start a fight.

"You should have kept your mouth shut." Brutus grabbed William and pinned him against Lou's cage. "Now, I have a bone to pick with you."

"Actually, I believe that someone else has a bone to pick with you." Brutus never saw it coming. Lou struck fast and hard, whacking Brutus over the head with the bone. Gabi was about to scream for help, but William muzzled her with his wings. "Quickly, Lou." Lou gave a nod and used the sharp end to start picking at the lock. In seconds, it was unlocked. She quickly flew up to me and began unlocking mine. Once done, she handed me the bone.

"Get started. I'll go do the other side." I went straight to Nico and Pedro's cage and started picking it. Soon, they were free and began to help. Once Blu and Jewel were free, they knocked some empty cages over in front of the door with some others help. I was flying towards another cage when someone put a wing in my face.

"Hey, toucan." I knew exactly who it belonged to. I faced the Green-Wing.

"What do you want?"

"I want out. Please, you have to help me."

"Why should I? All you ever said was that life has bad endings."

"Please, I'm begging you." I felt the urge to leave him there, but my pity overcame that urge. I unlocked it with ease, and he flew straight out, wrapping his wings around me. "Thank you! Thank you, and thank you, a thousand times over! How can I possibly repay you?"

"You can help us. Wait at the switch for the big door and await my signal." He flew over in a flash, waiting. Soon, all the birds were free. I gave the signal, and the hatch lowered. Sunlight poured in. Behind us, the sudden knock of the door grabbed my attention. Through the window, I could see the smugglers trying to break through. But where was Nigel? The sound of wings flapping made me turn around so I could see all the birds fly to freedom. I was about to take off, then remembered something. "William." I went over to his cage, but didn't find him there. A sudden screech surprised me, and I turned in time to see Nigel. Before he reached me, a flash of blue knocked him into a cage, along with Brutus and Gabi. William quickly locked it and went over to the side.

"Help me, Rafael!" In an instant, I was there to help. We pushed the cage out of the plane.

"Are they going to die?"

"They'll be fine. The lock isn't that hard to break. Come on, let's-" William suddenly groaned in pain, holding his side.

"William!" I rushed to his side. "We have to go. Now!"

"Not...yet. Take this bone, and throw it into the engine. We can't let them escape." I obeyed and grabbed the bone from his talon, then threw it. The engine was engulfed in smoke, and the plane tilted forward. I went back to William's side, who was barely standing.

"Come on, Will. You can do this."

"Wait!" William stopped just before the edge. "Remember what I was going to tell you?"

"You can tell me another time."

"No I can't!" His determination made me stop. "I need to tell you. The truth is, I'm...I'm..."

"Tell me later!" I grabbed his wing and started to run to the edge.

"I'M A HUMAN!" Shock froze me to the spot. It couldn't be. William was...a human?

"What did you say?"

"I said I'm a human. That's why I can't fly! That's why my eyes are weird! That's why, when you found me, I freaked out! Do you understand now?" Surprisingly, I did.

"I-I don't know what to say. I-" I was cut off by William diving at me and knocking me out of the plane. After, I heard a bang, then a scream of pain.

* * *

**William's POV**

* * *

I held my shoulder. The warmth of my blood covered my wing, the red liquid seeping through my feathers. Ahead of me stood the lead smuggler.

"Stupid bird! Think you could escape me!" his voice boomed. He took a step towards me, his gun trained on me. "No one escapes me!" Soon, he was upon me. "Any last words?" Mustering my strength, I focused very hard.

"Just...one." The look of shock an fear suddenly appeared on his face. His hand trembled, his gun shaking before dropping from his hand. "Are...you...surprised? Are...you...scared? You...should...be." The smuggler ran out of the plane, quickly grabbing a parachute. I was left alone as the plane dipped towards the ocean below. I crawled towards the hatch, looking down. The ocean was closing fast. If I fell, I might have survived. But with my injuries, I wasn't sure. "Only...one...way...to...be...sure." Then I took the plunge. My life flashed before my eyes. I saw images of my family, my friends and Emma. Sweet...Emma. I closed my eyes one last time before the ocean engulfed me.

_This is the end...my sweet...Emma._

* * *

**And that's the end, and I must say, my best chapter yet. I hope it was a suitable ending and I hope you all enjoyed. Goodbye for now, and Happy New Year! :)**


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